Submitted by Jeri Royce, President & CEO
Worldwide – we are all in the ocean of COVID-19. However, we are definitely not in the same boat. We are each in our own boat determined by where we live, how much money we have, our race and ethnicity, our age, employment status, whether or not we have school-age children, whether we live alone or have companionship, live in a big city or a rural county, and the list goes on, and on, and on. Our boat is unique, and no other person sits in that same boat with us. And the boat we sit in makes a difference in how we manage and maneuver through the effects of COVID-19.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about my own personal boat and the boats of all the community members we serve both here in Arizona as well as Mozambique, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Peru. We serve them because they experience a gap between where they are and what they need such as access to health care, water to wash their hands, clean water to drink, medicine to heal when they’re sick, a safe home to live in, money to pay for surgery, and food to eat and feed their families. The gap is big and just gets bigger and harder to navigate with the addition of COVID-19.
Perhaps like many of you, there is not a gap between where I am and what I need. Oh, it doesn’t mean we don’t have “problems,” but we do not lack for everyday basic needs. And we have the resources we need to solve most problems that come our way. That is why we do what we can every day to make the lives of those we serve just a little better. We improve health and provide hope.
Thank you for joining me, Esperança, our staff, board, and volunteers to help those who need us now more than ever. Your generous donations help us continue to provide education, disease prevention, and treatment especially now when COVID-19 is making life so much harder for those we serve. At a time when predictions are that donations will decline, Esperança’s individual giving is exceeding our budget for FY20. That would not be possible if not for your unwavering commitment to and compassion for those we serve!
From my heart to yours, thank you!
