This month it’s all about the nonprofits. It’s right there in the name, isn’t it? These ventures are not about profiting, not about the money. They’re about service. The ones that profit? All of us.
If you think about it, likely most of your life is touched by, and made better by, nonprofits. For me and my family that’s certainly true. My husband spends his days working for a nonprofit, helping people try and put their lives back together. My daughter’s school is a nonprofit — one that’s made her fluent in French. All of her afterschool and summer activities through the years have been made possible by nonprofits — everything from Girl Scouts, to art camps, to theatre, to running her first race. Our pets joined our family from nonprofits. We can spend our weekends enjoying the most beautiful and magical parts of our city — the parks, the zoo, the gardens, the museums — because of the daily work of area nonprofits.
All the festivals we love so much — including French Quarter Fest, which we celebrate in this issue — are put on by nonprofits, and it is nonprofits that ensure the survival of our culture. Organizations like Feed the Second Line, the New Orleans Musician’s Clinic, Preservation Resource Center, Save Our Cemeteries, the Historic New Orleans Collection, and many others work tirelessly to safeguard every part of what makes this city like no other.
The nonprofit health care systems and schools make up some of our biggest employers and nonprofits are hard at work at some of our biggest problems — from affordable housing, to climate change, to workforce development, to crime.
I encourage you to think for a minute about the nonprofits that are a regular part of your life. For me, it’s all of these, plus the Crescent City Farmers Market I hit up every Tuesday morning and the local Goodwill that’s motivating me to clean closets right now and making sure all the things I no longer use stay out of landfills and go to help others in need. Some of my other favorites to support include Dress for Success and the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter. What are yours?
In just a few months I’ll be graduating from the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI), another nonprofit venture. This incredible year-long program has allowed me to meet every month with fellow professionals from every industry and take a closer look at the issues affecting our region and what’s being done about them. It’s been such an incredible experience that I’m honestly sad to see it end. I cannot recommend it enough, and I know applications for this fall’s class will be starting soon, so check it out!
A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone whose work profits us all every day. May we show our support all year long, and especially on May 7 for GiveNOLA Day!
Thanks for reading,
Kimberley Singletary, Editor
Kimberley@BizNewOrleans.com
