Discovery in the Struggle

It was a year unlike any other, but 2020 may have resulted in greater opportunity for growth. We reached out to some nonprofits and asked what their most prominent takeaways were from the past year. We are highlighting these organizations in hopes that it will bring you a sound understanding of the silver lining in affliction.

Creative Care for Reaching Independence (CCRI)

With its mission to enhance and enrich the lives and learning of people with disabilities, CCRI found empowerment in connection.

“During Covid we were reminded just how important phone calls, emails and notes could be. There was more time to pick up the phone and check in with one another. Moving forward we will remember that connecting with a donor doesn’t need to be an hour-long meeting for them to stay engaged. Personal connection can take many forms.”

– Jody Hudson, Development/Communications Director

Gateway to Science

Gateway to Science strives to inspire scientific discovery in children. They discovered the cruciality of continued learning, even during hardship.

“Be open to learning new information so you can approach problems with creativity and resiliency and find new ways to do hard things. Humans have enormous capacity to learn. When faced with a crisis, we have a choice: will we continue to operate in the same manner or will we apply newly gained knowledge in order to think critically about creative solutions to the problem? I prefer the latter.”

– Beth Demke, Executive Director

Ronald McDonald House Charities Fargo

Supporting families with children receiving medical care, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Fargo learned to roll with the punches.

“‘It is what it is.’ I have seen some others post that they dislike this phrase, but I really like it. For me, this is telling me to not worry about the things I cannot change and  focus on what I can do right now. I have this phrase hanging in my office to help me remember to not get stuck on one piece of a project that is not working, but rather to move on to the pieces that are working and build on them. There will always be things that want to hold us back so we need to press on to the goal.”

– Jill Christopher, Executive Director

Key Takeaways

• There are many ways to connect.
• Learning is a constant.
• Accept what you can and cannot control.