Give
May 10, 2012
Guest post by Kate Bartalon
Senior Director, Development
Each year during the second week in May we see a surge in giving here at the Foundation. Something I expect is common for many nonprofits. In celebration of Mother’s Day, sons and daughters are making gifts in honor of and in memory of their moms. Perhaps it’s because so many of us were taught the value of giving from the person in our lives who gives us so much — our mothers.
I’m Kate, a fundraiser at the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. For more than 15 years I have been asking people for money. 
Asking them to take a moment to consider what change they want to see in the world and to invest in and support the organizations that are making those changes.
For me, giving began when I was a young girl. My mother believed we all have something to give, regardless of the amount of money in our pockets. She taught me to drop coins into the basket at church, to take time to volunteer at the local soup kitchen, to simply sit with a stranger in need. Most importantly, she taught me to give of my time and money joyfully.
I have the honor of asking others to give of their time and treasure. I do this with the knowledge that when they say yes, they will forever impact the life of a child. They will ensure a mother is found for the children we serve. Imagine the joy in knowing your gift has that kind of power — that your gift will give the love of a parent to a child, that your gift will provide the safety of a home, that your gift will provide the security of a family.
Today, I’ll make a gift to the Foundation in memory of my mother, in celebration of the values she taught me, and in honor of the more than 100,000 children who still wait for loving families of their own. I encourage you to take a moment, to think of what is important to you, to call the organization in your community that is making the change you want to see in the world, and to make a gift. And once you make that gift, call a friend and ask them to do the same.
Click here to give to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
