Give Generously
How would you spend $499 billion? What would you do with 5.8 billion hours of time?
Giving USA reported that Americans gave $499.33 billion to charitable causes in 2022, and AmeriCorps cited that Americans gave 5.8 billion hours of their time serving in 2019. These figures illustrate an unbelievable sum of talent, time and treasure shared with causes that include social services, education, religion, international affairs, arts and culture, and so much more.
Americans have proven that they are generous, but they are also letting off the gas in their giving. In 2022, giving declined by 3.4% compared to 2021, and when adjusted for inflation, it was down 10.5% (Giving USA 2023). We simply don’t have room in our world to see generosity—in any form—decline.
In a world growing more complicated and divided, I have never been more confident that generosity is one of the greatest lights we can shine. Through my work as the president of the Athens Area Community Foundation, I have the honor of seeing dollars and time flow freely, intentionally and backed by a true desire to affect change.
However, I also witness the unending challenges faced by nonprofit organizations that are striving to lead their communities. Charged with joy and discomfort, excitement and sorrow, challenges and opportunities, nonprofits lead with courage, grit and grind. Nonprofits are the guideposts for living generously, and we need to embrace our generous spirits and share love wherever we can.
As a society, the activation of our individual and collective generosity is more important now than ever before. Trusting in the work of nonprofits is paramount for our local communities. Aligning our values with a good cause is critical. Connecting and learning in spaces that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable is key. Being generous in any capacity is essential for both individuals and organizations alike.
How can you contribute to a generous society?
Think: Consider your connection in your community and where you can show up.
Serve: Know your neighbor and volunteer.
Give: Be informed and donate regularly.
Learn: Listen and advocate relentlessly.
Lead: Learn your responsibility and serve diligently as a board member or volunteer.
Think, serve, give, learn and lead. Be a light for the world. Activate your generosity today, tomorrow and year-round. When the world feels dark, shine your light.
Sarah McKinney
Athens
Preserving Democracy
To preserve our democracy, we cannot allow attacks on the performance by the executive branch, the judiciary or the legislature of their duties under our Constitution.
We look to Congress to address vital issues affecting the welfare of our nation. The failure or refusal of members of Congress to perform their duties places the very existence of our democracy at risk. Members of Congress, sworn to perform these duties, who decide their loyalty is not to the country but to some other cause or individual can render our country helpless and bring our beloved country to its knees.
In recent days, a candidate for the presidency has decided it is in his personal interest to prevent action by Congress to address vital matters, including immigration law reform and assistance to Ukraine and Israel. Incredibly, some members of Congress from Georgia, in blind obedience to that individual, are choosing to violate their oaths of office and refusing to address these urgent matters. They are betraying our nation and our state. These individuals have no business being members of the United States Congress representing Georgia.
We are witnessing how those who engaged in violent attempts to overthrow our democracy are, one by one, being held to legal account for their efforts to do so.
Surely members of Congress who violate their oaths of office solely to advance the political ambitions of one individual must be held to account by Georgia voters for doing so as well.
Bruce Menke
Athens
Runners Say Thanks
On behalf of the Athens Road Runners and the Classic City Marathon Association, we extend our sincerest gratitude to the entire Athens-area community for their support of our inaugural lululemon Classic City Marathon, Athena Half Marathon and Classic City Marathon Relay. Our new races brought hundreds of visitors to Athens during Jan. 27–28, many of whom shared how impressed they were by the overwhelming support that the neighborhoods and businesses along the route showed to runners and to spectators.
Athens-Clarke County’s expressed priorities include safe movement, outstanding built and natural environments, and the importance of being good neighbors, and those values were on display in the best ways throughout this event. Thank you to the community for their invaluable contributions to our new races and for their ongoing dedication to physical activity in North Georgia.
Emily Noble
Monica Huff
Oppose Anti-Library Bill
As a resident of Oconee County and a user of public libraries, I’m an enthusiastic supporter of the highly trained staff and their mission to provide what libraries are about: an educationally diverse and inclusive selection of books and videos that are accessible to all residents in our community. In addition to the invaluable public access, the libraries are a welcoming community hub. They provide a safe space for individuals to meet with others who share their interests or life experiences.
Inside of this mission is a responsibility to ensure that books, videos, materials and resources are age-appropriate in content and appropriately categorized. Our library teams carry out this important duty with professionalism that reflects their extensive training. I take issue with those, driven by their own personal agenda, who dismiss the expertise of these highly-trained professionals.
At the end of the day, parents have the right and the responsibility to guide what their children read or view. But no parent should be deciding for others what books or videos in a public library their children should have access to or how and where they can access them.
But to no surprise, here comes the GOP-controlled Georgia Senate, which has proposed legislation in Senate Bill 390 that would remove affiliation with the American Library Association, which threatens the accreditation and the resources that our libraries rely on, and would eliminate certification requirements to become a librarian. Libraries are an essential public gateway to knowledge and information needed to meet the challenges of our age. Entrusting this vital institution to individuals without the proper training and expertise would be a disservice to our community and a missed opportunity to leverage the full potential of our library systems.
I urge readers to contact their local state senators, Frank Ginn or Bill Cowsert, to oppose SB 390.
Harold Thompson
Watkinsville
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