I haven’t seen fireflies in my backyard in quite some time, so you can imagine my surprise when I spotted one last week. I am amazed at the simple beauty of a firefly as it seems to fly across the field upon its nightly journey. I have often considered them to be a sign of good luck and hope, as their intermittent light flashes like a beacon in the night, offering a peaceful reassurance that you are not alone in the dark.
The same holds true for lighthouses. These towering architectural wonders are such a captivating sight to see from both land and sea. From land, it gives us a sign that we are getting closer to the shore and provides a higher perspective from above to better understand our surrounding environment. From sea, back before technological navigation took hold, lighthouses allowed sailors to know precisely where they were along their journey as each lighthouse was painted in its own unique color schemes along the coast. By night, lighthouses provide unique sequences of flashing light to let sailors know their position as they traverse the ocean.
LifePath continues to navigate the current and future uncertainty with both Federal and State budget constraints, we have decided to shift our in-person Fall Walkathon Event to a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign taking place from October 2 through October 30.
Fireworks also help us to celebrate the many wonderful occasions and milestones throughout our history, as they help to illuminate the night sky so that we can better see through the darkness and as we gain our bearings in strategizing our next steps toward a brighter future.
As LifePath continues to navigate the current and future uncertainty with both Federal and State budget constraints, we have decided to shift our in-person Fall Walkathon Event to a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign taking place from October 2 through October 30. This month-long campaign will allow our traditional Walkathon donors to continue to support our efforts this fall without the logistical overhead associated with running an in-person event.
Why do this, you might ask? Well, by going in this direction it allows us to accomplish a number of things. First and most importantly, it continues to give our traditional teams, sponsors, and individual donors that have historically been involved in this long-standing event, the opportunity to continue to support the important work that we do, under a similar format. In moving away from an in-person event, we are hoping to include more people to participate in this mobile campaign fundraising structure, helping to address decreasing attendance over the years. This change also helps to prevent competition with other live events going on during the busy fall season.
Additionally, the move to a more traditional fundraising campaign format provides us with an opportunity to save more than $10,000 in event and staff-related costs, maximizing the impact of your gift to go even further in making a positive difference in the lives of those we serve through our programs.
We are asking people to follow up with those you have approached in the past to support LifePath through this event to ask for their continued support of our efforts. Donation collection forms will be available starting August 24 on our website, and copies will be available at local senior centers in your area and at our main office in Greenfield. There is also the option to make your donation directly online or it can be mailed to LifePath, Inc., 101 Munson Street, Suite 201, Greenfield, MA 01301. Our goal this year is to raise $60,000 in support of our Meals on Wheels program, and I know that we can surpass that goal with everyone’s continued support.
The power of your support is a reassuring beacon that cannot be overstated, as it helps us to chart a course towards calmer waters, as we sustain our life-changing programs in serving those throughout our community and beyond. For questions about your gift or to help us raise funds in support of our efforts, please feel free to contact John O’Farrell at jofarrell@lifepathma.org. For more information on LifePath’s many programs, call 413-773-5555 or visit our website to learn more.
