Holiday Greetings from Carol
Dear Friends,
‘Tis the season, as they say, for merry times with friends and family. It’s a time of remembering loved ones and offering thanks. For many, it’s the time of year to go out of one’s way to perform random acts of kindness, donate money or volunteer.
While this is a wonderful time for generosity, it is not the only time there is need in our community. At Cook Inlet Housing Authority, this time of year reminds us of the critical needs in our community year-round. As a not for profit organization dedicated to providing quality, affordable housing for Alaskans, we are constantly looking to improve the products we deliver for clients -- from home loan programs for young families to housing facilities for seniors, and from East Anchorage to South, we touch many aspects of this ever-growing metropolis. Afterall, this is our hometown, too.
Whether generosity is seasonal or not, however, we all make contributions to our community and have the ability to better this place, now and for the future. By improving our neighborhoods and inspiring pride in every resident, we can create more desirable places to live. What could be more fundamentally important than having a home? Being proud of it.
While we have a definitive year-round mission, Cook Inlet Housing Authority is also providing a program over the holidays for those who need a way to begin contributing. It’s a program called The Giving Tree and by participating you will provide a toy for a child in need.
Our goal is to bring Christmas joy to every one of the more than 400 children in our CIHA homes. Giving Trees will be located in the CIHA main office lobby on the corner of 36th and Spenard as well as in the lobby of First National Bank Alaska’s South Center Branch on the corner of 36th and C Streets. You are invited to collect an ornament with a child’s name and age on it, purchase an appropriate gift for that child, then bring the gift back to the location where you collected the ornament.
Tune in to KNBA in December to stay up-to date on how many gifts still need to be collected, and to get additional information about where toys may be dropped off. You are welcome to provide a toy for a specific child or simply buy a gift and mark it for a child of an appropriate age and we’ll be sure it lands in deserving hands.
Our mission, “…to provide quality housing that promotes healthy communities, economic development, independence and partnering” seems daunting, but with our community’s support, we can take steps to get there. Give what you can, whenever you can.
I recently heard something on KNBA during their membership drive that has continued to run through my head, “A little, plus a little, plus a little, is a lot.” How true.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season and year ahead.
Carol Gore