View From the Team
It's a New Dawn, It's a New Day, It's a New Life…
Susan B. Noyes Founder & Chief Visionary Officer susan@makeitbetter.com
Leah Bronson Publisher lbronson@makeitbetter.com
Lotus Abrams Editor in Chief labrams@makeitbetter.com
… And — like Nina Simone, George Michael, Lauren Hill and the many other talented artists who have sung these inspiring lyrics before us have attested — we’re feeling good. As we welcome 2022, we’ve got a lot to feel positive about, especially when it comes to the progress we’ve made in our response to the pandemic this past year: About 60% of the population in the United States has now been vaccinated against Covid-19, and an increasing number of children ages 5 and older have been vaccinated as well. So, what more could we wish for? On a personal level, from exercising more frequently and prioritizing self-care to getting organized or jumpstarting a new career, come Dec. 31 many of us make ambitious goals for the year ahead. While plenty of surveys suggest we can’t keep our New Year’s resolutions, there are strategies we can use to make our goals achievable, others say. One is to make approachoriented goals rather than avoidance-based goals — that means instead of vowing to cut out refined sugar altogether from our diets, we might want to reframe our resolution instead to replace sugar with natural sweeteners like agave or date syrup whenever possible, for example. This positive, proactive approach to goal-setting really resonates with us, too, here at Make It Better Media Group and Marin Magazine. We're still riding high after celebrating our first-ever Make It Better Foundation Bay Area Philanthropy Awards winners (marinmagazine.com/ philanthropy-awards) in November, when one of our anonymous judges even donated $20,000 to semifinalist Conservation Corps North Bay (ccnorthbay.org), so our collective resolution is to strive to help our communities even more in 2022. Our team is already digging into this mission. Here’s just a sampling of how staff members gave back during the month of December.
Lesley Cesare volunteered at Milo Foundation (milofoundation.org), spending time with dogs and cats who have yet to be matched to their forever home; Lotus Abrams and her daughters (Zoe, 10, and Charlotte, 8) gathered outgrown toys and clothing to donate to Partners & Advocates for Remarkable Children & Adults (PARCA) (parca.org), which works with Bay Area residents who have developmental disabilities. Alex French became a “sighted volunteer” through the Be My Eyes app (bemyeyes.com), offering visual assistance to blind and low-vision individuals. Sharon Coleman, who is a cancer survivor, continues to serve as a peer support person, speaking weekly with cancer patients at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (cancer.ucsf.edu) to help them navigate their treatment process. And Jessica Gliddon is an ongoing harbor seal crew volunteer at the Marine Mammal Center, which rescues, rehabilitates and releases injured, ill and abandoned marine mammals (marinemammalcenter.org). Looking to make giving back one of your resolutions for 2022? You’ll find so many ways to give at marinmagazine.com/nonprofit-guide. For more inspiration, subscribe to our Better Letter e-newsletter and follow us on social media @marinmagazine. Now, let’s dive into this new year. There’s never been a better time to focus on achieving our goals, so we can be our best selves and live our best lives. From our family to yours: Happy New Year!
Susan B. Noyes, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer Leah Bronson, Publisher Lotus Abrams, Editor in Chief
IF YOU LIKE US IN PRINT, YOU WILL LOVE US ONLINE! For the best of Marin Magazine delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the Better Letter at marinmagazine.com/subscribe. And follow us on social media: @marinmagazine
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