2020: The year of the helper

August 28, 2020

By Jamie Schloegel, Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, yeah, I know. The year is not going well. 2020 is only four months from being over, and no one will be sad to see it go.

Hopefully our dreams for a dramatically improved 2021 will transpire and 2020 will soon be a smudgy blur in our rear view mirrors. But here’s one thing I’ll always remember about this insufferably challenging year: all the good people who stood up to help.

The evidence is everywhere: Encouraging works of sidewalk chalk art, people coming together to rally for social justice, the daily school buses delivering meals at countless locations, local musicians signing up to perform virtually for people in nursing homes, crafters making thousands of masks, giving tables in neighborhoods offering free goodies, nonprofits doing all they can to get help to people in the way they need it, teachers getting excited to make the most of this crazy year, and so, so much more.

People are suffering through an incredible amount of hardship and there’s plenty of daily reminders of all the negativity and divisiveness in the world. And I’m not advocating that we try to be ignorant to those things, but when carrying it all becomes overwhelming, its always a good reprieve to look for the good.

Did you know that 2020 is an incredible year for charitable giving? Giving across the country has surged during the coronavirus crisis, eclipsing donations during the 2008 recession and after the September 11 terrorist attacks. When we created the La Crosse Area Emergency Response Fund in March with Great Rivers United Way, we were all shocked that in less than two months over $1,000,000 was received in donations. That’s just amazing!

So as the craziness of 2020 continues to build, let’s keep working to reverse the downward spiral by doing good, bringing people together, and making 2020 a record year for helping.