"Thank You For Your Generosity"

“At The Table”

(Click to Donate)

“On the table before me, you must place
the bread of continual offering.” Exodus
25:30

With Thanksgiving drawing nigh, many of us ponder which
recipe to follow in our quest to make this year’s holiday meal extra special
for those we love. Well-intentioned
friends offer up advice on how to soak our bird in brine, fry it in peanut oil,
stuff it with sage dressing or slow roast it basted in butter. We ask ourselves, “What is the unique dish
that we can bring to the table?”

The same holds true for Life. What is it that you are bringing to Life’s
table? Are you tapping into your unique
gifts to serve up a hearty dish overflowing with abundant love, generosity and
civic engagement? If not, I urge you to
step up. The truth is we live in a world
where too often Life’s table is covered with a smorgasbord of unsavory dishes
seasoned with acts of violence.

These random deeds seem to happen almost every day, and they
affect us all. Natasha Howliet, another
recent victim, had just written an upbeat article in Urban Girl magazine (a
program of Goodcity’s Elijah’s House) about how she was getting her life
together – working at Wal-mart and enrolled in nursing school. Natasha was killed randomly while waiting for
her bus at Homan & Madison. Yes,
violence is a prominent dish served at the table in our society today, and
unless we take collective action to remove it, the corrosive effect it has on
the health of our society will continue to manifest.

So during this season of celebration, know that Goodcity is
placing peace and non violence at the table through many of our community
programs. You will see a list on the
back of this letter with some of the programs we are working with to stem the
violence that plagues our streets. You
are helping us to bring tranquility, positive action, anger management,
patience, tolerance and so much more on the table through your
contribution. Your generosity is needed
now more than ever as the need for our work intensifies. Please consider increasing your donation as
2009 ends.

Sincerely,

Michael T. Ivers

President