Challenging times call for challenging measures. You have heard it said before, probably more than once. Maybe it was a parent or a friend who said those words to you. I’ll shift the response in the phrase to say challenging times can produce positive outcomes. There, now that sounds better and it brings a new reality.

Napoleon Hill was an author and motivational speaker who said, “Every adversity contains, at the same time, a seed of equivalent opportunity!” He believed that within every challenge there was potential for great things.

Can you remember a time when you were young, lying on your back in a pool and feeling so light and free? Your face was above water, the sun shone down and your skin twinkled and glistened as you smiled. Then, everything was interrupted as your sibling catapulted you to the far side of the pool while practicing the role of human cannon ball. You lost your stability and sank. You came up from the depths with an angry face, the “I’m going to get you” attitude and a passion for retaliation. Did this ever end well? You may have felt a brief sense of accomplishment after you held your sibling below water for ten seconds, but the peace you had felt was ruined.

Imagine your world today as a big swimming pool with multiple ladders for climbing out. It is your choice in the end but the one that beckons most is the ladder with a person offering an outstretched hand. In our world a nonprofit is usually there to help you get out of a challenge. Whether you are participating with them as a volunteer, which helps you engage in community and feel good, or whether you are getting some sort of personal assistance. A nonprofit’s general purpose is to care and help others.

July 2, 2023 marks the day my work in Teller County began twenty-five years ago. A lot has changed and the seeds of opportunity have brought us to this day.

The Nonprofit Cooperative is a group that began in 2018 and organized in 2019. This year nonprofits in the group are collaborating on two fundraising events, the Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration and the Lighter Side of Christmas Parade. Three nonprofits, along with a coordinator, plan for each event. The model takes a challenge, which is organizations not having the time or volunteers to coordinate fundraising activities, and makes it easier. Currently, three nonprofit slots are open for the Lighter Side of Christmas Parade. Plans for the 4th of July are already underway. Let me know of your interest for December’s event! It is only $36 to join the Nonprofit Cooperative.

Gayle Gross works with nonprofits through SOAR’s Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County, which meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 9:30 a.m. at Reserve Our Gallery in Woodland Park. 2023 brings back collaborative fundraising events for nonprofits in the area through coordination of community events with SOAR. Contact Gayle Gross at iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org to be part of a Teller Give Back column. You can also email or call 719-233-9902 to learn more Collaborative Fundraising Events.

Gayle Gross