(What iambic pentameter and CanDo’s Napa Valley Give!Guide have in common)
As a Napa High teacher for many years, Shakespeare was a specialty. Helping students fall in love with one of the world’s greatest writers - despite challenging language - was a task I welcomed. At the heart of Shakespeare’s verse is iambic pentameter, a rhythm that mimics the beating of the human heart.
What’s that have to do with my current role as a community organizer with Napa Valley CanDo? Our work is often driven by the heart’s desire to help foster community. We connect, inspire and empower neighbors to take positive action through volunteerism. We know most people want to help, so we make it easy.
As iambic pentameter does in Shakespeare’s plays, the rhythm of a thriving community often runs like a quiet current beneath the surface of everyday life. CanDo’s sixth edition of the Napa Valley Give!Guide seeks to tap into that rhythm. We invite all Valley residents to join the chorus. In our five years to date, we’ve raised awareness and brought in over 1.4 million dollars for dozens of local nonprofits. You make a choice. You make a difference. We make it easy.
NapaValleyGiveGuide.org
The Napa Valley Give!Guide will amaze
As folks around the Valley show they care.
November and December are the days
When we will simply be inspired to share.
A catalog, a website and a dream,
A portal to the possible for all,
As dozens of nonprofits share one theme:
To help enhance the lives of those who call.
Philanthropy seems such a daunting term,
So if you’re young or new to such a thought,
With Give!Guide it’s a snap, no need to squirm.
For just ten bucks you’re doing as you ought.
You ask, “What good can just one soul perform?”
Combining small donations is the key.
Together we have power to transform,
And as the numbers rise, well, so do we.
The Give!Guide is a project of CanDo,
And yes, our CanDo spirit makes it so.
The group who strives to raise up volunteers,
Now works with heart to help all coffers grow.
It’s Margaret Mead who told us not to doubt
That groups, though small,
can change the world entire.
With your donations - small and large alike,
The Give!Guide seeks the Valley to inspire.