Bradley Zeve here. Community is an idea that most everyone I know cherishes and wants more of—a deeper sense of place, commonality and connection, a definition that includes a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals.
When we feel the spirit of community there’s an overall uplift, a sense of increased safety and purpose, even inspiration. There is a discernible sense of place, of care for each other.
During times of crisis, we witness broad sweeps of collective action. Neighbors check on neighbors, strangers support those in need, generosity flows freely without asking for anything in return.
Most of us don’t live in times of crisis. Still, community spirit is what defines us. We create community initiatives that fill our lives and address our wants and needs—sharing our time with like-minded folks whether for spiritual growth, for pleasure and entertainment, or to do good. Some do the gritty work of feeding the hungry, others create art, music, dance and song, others run around a field together playing sports. All of it forms our local tapestry of community.
There are more than 1,000 established nonprofit organizations in Monterey County, sharing common goals for the common good. In this year’s edition of Monterey County Gives!, which launched today, Nov. 14 and runs through Dec. 31, you can read about 206 of them. This special project of the Weekly was co-created back in 2009 to raise editorial support and money for local nonprofits.
I invite you to set aside an hour or two to learn more about these nonprofits. It takes time, but the feeling of uplift is worth it. There are so many involved in service and they have a higher vision for us all, for our community. And even though I am deeply involved with MCGives!, when I read about these nonprofits I get to savor the individual and collective efforts and I see both the parts and the whole; I have such an inspired, hopeful appreciation of where we live and who lives among us. It’s awesome.
You may not think about it every day, but the nonprofit sector is unquestionably a cornerstone for the overall health and welfare of Monterey County. It’s worthy to know about it and to celebrate it. It’s also worthy of your support, whether that’s $5 or $50,000.
Since we helped initiate Monterey County Gives!, this project has raised and donated over $68 million for local nonprofits. This year we have a goal of $11 million from 8,500 different donors.
If you’ve never contributed before, please join us. And if you’ve participated in past years, please consider doing so again, even upping your donation. We are all part of this community uplift together. Join the band!