Greetings friends,

I am at that stage in life where it truly does seem as though time is passing faster than it did during my youthful years!  With that feeling comes the realization that I will never get all the things on my “to do list” done in the timeframe in which I wanted to get them completed.  The exciting thing about that realization is that I’ll never be bored and sitting around wondering what to do with my time.  I am also better able at letting go of things from the past that I wish I had done differently because there are too many opportunities yet to be realized and too many challenges yet to be resolved.  All this to say that to me one of life’s lessons (exacerbated by COVID) is that we need to keep focused on the fact that the future, not the past, is what allows us to continue our efforts to make life better for Mississippi’s children, families, and communities. This edition of The Ally continues our commitment to lift up good work that is being done, and it also recognizes volunteers that have achieved outstanding accomplishments in their communities.

We always recognize that civil society is exemplified by the work done by philanthropy, nonprofits, and volunteers.  The Alliance is committed to helping all three be as effective as possible in taking advantage of opportunities and solving challenges.  We’re all in this together!

Finally, I want to thank each of you that came to The Alliance’s Annual Meeting which was held on April 8th.  It was a wonderful gathering of friends, and thanks to all that played a role in making it a success.  I also want to acknowledge a mistake I made when recognizing consultants that were instrumental in helping shape The Alliance into the organization that it is today.  I inadvertently did not mention the incredible work that Jan Eastman did with us during the development of The Alliance.  It was a mistake on my part, and I was always taught to recognize and acknowledge mistakes when they are made, so that is what I’m doing now.  Jan, your work was foundational for The Alliance, and you did it as a volunteer consultant for which we will be forever grateful.  I apologize for not lifting you up at the event — but, hopefully this let’s everyone know that you were (and are) an incredibly valued team member with The Alliance.

I wish you all the very best, and please keep up the good work you’re doing!

Sammy