Holding Hope: Donate to The Big Share to support Chrysalis

By Chris Kittoe, Employment Specialist at Chrysalis

I couldn’t be more proud or grateful to be part of the Chrysalis community as an Employment Specialist.  As a newer member of the Chrysalis team, I can’t overstate how incredible it feels to have joined such a unique and diverse team that is so adherent to guiding principles and committed to a collective push toward societal change and improvement.  I am consistently inspired by the team and the community and feel a great sense of hope knowing that Chrysalis exists as it does. 

Hope is a central component of all Chrysalis programs and to Chrysalis’ perspective in the community.  We know that hope is essential in life – in work, in recovery, in relationships, in growth, in dealing with setbacks, in pursuing dreams and achieving goals, in making change, in reflecting and in considering the future – in all aspects of life.  We at Chrysalis talk a lot about holding hope for those we support and those in our lives and community in general when hope proves difficult for them to find, feel, or maintain.  Chrysalis does a number of types of extremely impactful work with individuals and the community.  Holding hope stands alongside each of these as an immeasurably valuable action Chrysalis takes on behalf of those we support and and in support of our mission and values in the larger community.  Holding hope is like keeping a candle lit in a dark and drafty space.  The light is essential to seeing and navigating a path that leads out of the darkness and many factors could easily lead to its extinguishment.  The more factors there are to struggle against, the less one is able to put into keeping the candle lit and sometimes it is blown out and finding a way out through the darkness without it becomes the (much more daunting) task at hand.  It is during these times in life – when these factors feel stronger than ones grip on the light and ability to protect and nourish it – that having someone else to hold and care for that flame can make all the difference.  By holding hope when others may not feel or recognize it, we keep that candlelight alive and well, on the ready to shed its light and warmth when people are ready to take it back.  We do not cultivate or provide hope – we hold it.  We seek it and hold it and offer it and share it and celebrate it and keep it alive and well.   

By supporting Chrysalis in this fundraising effort, you are holding hope.  You are supplementing and strengthening our hopefulness and sharing light and warmth by allowing us to continue to provide services and offer programming which is not supported by government funding.  You are signaling that you are hopeful about the outcomes people and the community can achieve and about the role Chrysalis might play in those successes.  You are showing support and holding hope for the simple, human idea that everyone is worth it – that everyone deserves opportunity, choice, support, and – you guessed it – HOPE!

Thank you so much for holding and sharing hope by making a donation.  Your dollars will go directly to supplementing our efforts to support people in navigating their lives with purpose and hope!