Getting a thrill of hope on Giving Tuesday
by Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director – United Way of Charlotte County
Sharing personal struggles is typically reserved for select individuals. One of the blessings of my position at United Way of Charlotte County (UWCC) is being able to share in the ups and downs of life with my staff. In recent months we have shared premature birth, death, parenting struggles, relationship milestones, car trouble, health problems, you name it. But outside of a small circle, most of those situations are not known by the larger community.
As a whole, we go through many major life situations, good and bad, separate from the community around us.
Until 2020.
It was nearly impossible to not be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of your gender, race, education, career, income, etc. While it was noted that we couldn’t all say we were, “in the same boat,” globally, we were definitely all in the same storm.
Since then, many have been able to successfully navigate their boats out of the storm, while others are still paddling through the impacts of the coronavirus downpour.
Our team was still a little weary after that storm as we came into this new year, so we chose HOPE as our campaign theme for 2022-2023. We felt a need to remind our community that others can only get hope when we first give hope, and that UWCC is a place where you have the opportunity for both. At that time, we were unaware of how much hope this community would truly need in the months ahead.
In September, a literal storm came to southwest Florida, tossing all of our boats back into harm’s way.
Once again, we shared a storm from separate boats.
There is a collective weariness that can be felt across Charlotte County. With each storm that knocks us down, the strength to stand again becomes increasingly difficult. Where is the hope in all this?
My own family experienced the literal and metaphorical winds of these storms as well. There are days that my soul is weary and in need of a little hope, just like everyone else. I have had the privilege of getting hope, however, every time our office door opens.
It has been the most beautiful thing to have people show up to give hope to our community. We have received donations of bottled water, diapers, gift cards and more. We have received emails and phone calls from people who want to give back, give hope. And when our colleagues and supporters in the community have stopped by the office to pick up our campaign t-shirt (which has the word HOPE printed on the front), my heart has been warmed by their enthusiasm for spreading that message and finding ways to give back.
In the Christmas carol, O Holy Night, there is a line that keeps coming back to me. “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.” I wonder if the thrill is in getting hope, or if there is more of a thrill in giving hope.
We are living in a weary world, a weary community. But there is a thrill of hope we can experience when we give. Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, is Giving Tuesday, an opportunity to get and give a thrill of hope to our friends, family and neighbors.
Florida Power & Light’s team gave hope (so much hope!) with every business and home whose power was restored after Ian barreled through town. They are continuing to give hope this Giving Tuesday by providing a $5,000 matching donation. Your gift to United Way of Charlotte County on Giving Tuesday can be a hand that helps lift us up and allow us to give double the hope to Charlotte County with this match.
This Giving Tuesday, no matter which boat you are in, choose to feel the thrill of giving hope to a weary world by making your gift at: unitedwayccfl.org/Giving-Tuesday.
For more information about United Way of Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty, please contact Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.