BY LAURA NIX
Gratitude for BELIEVING It is hard to believe that my favorite holiday is upon us - Thanksgiving. As an Executive Director of a non-profit, I hope that I focus more on the thanks than on the ask of the gift. Recently I did a little research on how Thanksgiving became such an important day in the United States of America. As children, we are all told the story of the first Thanksgiving. If you think about it, you will realize that the first Thanksgiving was the start of America’s philanthropic spirit. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians joined in an autumn harvest feast that is said to be among the first Thanksgiving celebrations. (Our November holiday was designated by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.) “A model of Christian charity” was the sermon John Winthrop preached to puritans bound for New England in 1630, emphasizing the wealthy’s social obligation to care for those less fortunate. Then, in 1638, John Harvard bequeathed his library and half his estate to a newly founded school that would bear his name, and in 1643, Harvard University conducted what is believed to be the nation’s first fundraising campaign. As we head into the season of giving, The First Tee of Central Arkansas is giving “Thanks” to every donor, volunteer, parent, and child for believing in our mission. Without your support, we would not be able to reach 8,000 children in 2016!
The First Tee of Central Arkansas would like to extend an extra special “Thank You” to our Founding Partners, Jack Stephens and the Stephens Family as well as the City of Little Rock.
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Life in Chenal