Two simple words can motivate and satisfy the people we work, live or do business with.

Thank you.

They are at the heart of the holiday we celebrate this week.

True, the origins of Thanksgiving are religious and involved more of a divine appreciation, but the holiday makes plenty of room for more earthly giving of thanks.

We want to share with you a smattering of the thanks we have received recently. We appreciate the kind affirmation of our work and have plenty of thanks to pass out ourselves.

This time of year, we begin to get more caloric shows of thanks, particularly from the professional financial advisors we deal with. Cheese, sausage, delicate crackers and, of course, chocolate become regular deliveries. If we keep the scale under control, it is no thanks to the many temptations they place before us. But we appreciate their kindness and generosity.

Here are some of the thanks related to grants awarded and service offered.

• We received enthusiastic thanks from Jamie LaFreniere, executive director of the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, for a Bright Idea Fund grant and a two-year grant from the Mielke Family Foundation for their Music for Everyone program. “Just when I think it is impossible to shock me, amazing things like this happen. You made me cry, laugh, and then cry again. Please extend my gratitude to all those involved in this decision,” she said.
• There was this one from Youth Go in Neenah: “Thank you for believing in the work and mission of Youth Go. You are truly helping us make a difference in the lives of the youth we serve.”
• The thanks from the Fox Valley Literacy Council came with examples. Without our support, it said, “Florencia would not be working with her volunteer tutor or carrying herself with new confidence, Rocio would not have a place to both learn and volunteer while building community, and Manthana would not have a place to practice skills she now uses to help her son with his homework.”
• The Community Early Learning Center staff was thankful for a Bright Idea Fund grant. “The possibilities are endless when the entire community comes together to support young children and families,” said Director Marchelle Moten.
• A donor offered thanks for our service. “Thank you so much for your knowledge and assistance. You were very gracious as you made suggestions to complete our shared project.”

Each one of these offerings of thanks that comes in our door rightfully passes right through to the donors who establish charitable funds with us. They are the reason we can help bring people to the symphony who might not otherwise get the opportunity, help provide activities for Fox Cities youth, support English language learners and families with young children.

Going into the holiday, we offer thanks to the donors responsible for our 1,490 charitable funds, the professional advisors who encourage them to make charitable giving part of their financial planning, our scholarship and grant committee members, our board members and the staff, volunteers and board members at the 1,060 nonprofit organizations we were able to support with grants during out 2016-17 fiscal year.

We will enjoy the holiday and count all of you among our reasons to be thankful.

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