WyoGives - One Week Away! — Black Dog Animal Rescue

A note from our Executive Director, Britney Tennant

The second annual WyoGives Day is just a week away and I got to spend part of the day today attending proclamation readings from Governor Gordon, Mayor Collins, and Laramie County Commissioner Malm. It was an opportunity to connect with colleagues and friends for the first time in many long months and I came away from those gatherings renewed in my faith, support, and enthusiasm for all those who work, volunteer in, and support the nonprofit sector. Commissioner Malm in particular relayed a poignant story from late last year that really exemplifies the way our sector works and cares for our communities. I’ll share it with you here, but understand my version is not a direct quote.

On December 23rd, 2020, awash in criticism and vitriol as a result of measures taken to protect our people from the deadly COVID-19 virus, local officials were overwhelmed and discouraged. So when the Governor called to tell them that each county in the state was being granted 2 million dollars to be distributed by the Commissioners to local charitable nonprofit organizations impacted by the pandemic, the news was met with some degree of fatigue and reservation. The funds had to be awarded and distributed by New Year’s, and the state provided little else by way of guidelines for how to get it done.

Weary, but eager to make the most of the opportunity for a sector largely forgotten during other relief efforts, Commissioners got to work calling nonprofit leaders across Laramie County seeking advice and feedback for how to go about it. The responses they got from those community leaders came as a warm and welcome surprise.

Over and over again what they heard from those they contacted was not advice about how to be “fair” in their distribution, not covert efforts to direct funds to the organizations with the most influence or most connections, not commentary about whether the funding was sufficient to make up for earlier lapses in access to support. Rather, they were given the names of organizations most in need. Those with the fewest resources, the ones perhaps most directly impacted by economic changes, the ones least able to make up for the shortages with their limited staff and stretched programs. In many cases, people offered to make the necessary phone calls and introductions to help get the money distributed. As a result, some organizations actually declined to apply for the funding, knowing it was needed elsewhere.

Two days before Christmas, our nonprofit community showed what it really means to act collectively, to reject scarcity, and to extend kindness. The experience left those Commissioners with a renewed sense of generosity and their heavy loads somewhat lightened.

Listening to Commissioner Malm relay this story today had the same effect on me. I know this kind of generosity and caring to be present across our community, and I believe it is particularly concentrated within the nonprofit sector. It is for this reason that I volunteer as a member of the Wyoming Nonprofit Network’s Board of Directors, and it's why I am so excited about all of the energy surrounding the upcoming WyoGives Day.

It’s true what they say - that by helping others, we help ourselves the most.

I returned to BDAR to spend the rest of my day at my desk. But before I settled in, a small puppy barking from her kennel caught my attention. Tilly is only 10 pounds, a transfer from another shelter partner and in need of some specialized medical care. At just 12 weeks old, she’d been bitten by another dog and her eye has suffered irreparable damage as a result. Though it will need to be removed, Tilly will never miss it. Today, she’s meeting her new adoptive family who have agreed to work with us to ensure Tilly gets the care she needs while also beginning her new life in her forever home as soon as possible.

As a result of her barking, I took her outside where she immediately relieved herself and then thanked me for the effort with tiny puppy kisses. She’s not even four months old and is well on her way to being house trained. Together in the afternoon sun, Tilly and I shared a moment of gratitude. For this day, for her future, for the ease of making life just a little better for each other.

Jody Shields, the director of the Wyoming Nonprofit Network, announced that the goal this year is to raise $1 million on WyoGives Day. With nearly 200 participating organizations across the state and folks hungry for something good in the world, I have no doubt it will happen. The energy, love, and excitement I felt today is infectious in the very best sense of the word.

I hope you’ll mark your calendars, follow social media (so much great content coming your way), and set aside a little gift for your favorite participating organization. Together, we’re cultivating the best of what Wyoming has to offer. Together, we’re fighting for our future.