Greetings to all 5th Bridge Pledgers,

The marking of the New Year is a time to reflect on our experiences of the past year and to make plans and set goals for the new one. It is a perfect time to let go of habits that hold us back and to establish or strengthen habits that help us to grow as human beings.

As a 5th Bridge pledger, you have made the commitment to volunteer at least five hours per month, and if you are following through on that personal goal, then you either know or are discovering how service and giving to others enrich your life.

Most people know that as a volunteer you often accomplish good deeds and help people, and those acts are very rewarding and important, but my favorite part is… the other volunteers! The simple act of freely sharing your time and/or resources brings out the very best in people, and when people are at their best, they inspire others to step up as well.

Over the years I have served with many volunteers who have touched my life and inspired me to grow as a person, but today I would like to tell you about the amazing volunteers that I work with on the 5th Bridge Board.

• Greg Carlson and Justin Stets. I mention them together, because they are a team, they are brothers-in-law, business partners and friends. Greg and Justin are also the co-founders and financial supporters of 5th Bridge. Greg is the visionary and Justin is the driver. Both are men of the highest integrity, are committed to their faith and family, and are always seeking new, innovative ways to serve and to make a difference.
• Dave Neuger is probably one of the most humble, generous and nicest guys that I have ever known. He and the creative team at Neuger Communications Group donate professional services that are invaluable to 5th Bridge and would be otherwise unattainable to a fledgling nonprofit like us.
• Jeff Eckhoff is an Assistant Principal at the high school. Our community is so fortunate to have a person like Jeff to watch out for our kids, because he truly and sincerely cares. Jeff is working to expand the involvement of high school students in volunteer service.
• Reginaldo Hasslett-Maroquin is relatively new to Northfield and is passionately entrepreneurial. He is working with Latinos and other members of the community to increase understanding and to create business opportunities.
• Sarah Swan-McDonald is a teacher at the high school. Last year she piloted Northfield’s first service learning class. The class was so successful that it expanded to two classes this year. Sarah is helping and encouraging other teachers throughout the district to incorporate elements of service learning into their curriculum.
• Kris Estenson is an educator and works part-time at St. Olaf in the Center for Experiential Learning. She also has a passion for service learning and it is the topic of her Doctorate thesis. Kris is one of my role models because she finds a way to balance her busy life, care for her family, and is always willing to lend a hand - all of this she does with such grace and care.
• Blake Abdella is the Executive Director of the NDDC. He is our planner and strategist - the one who helps keep us focused on our goals. He has helped other local nonprofits develop strategic plans as well. Blake is also very active in Habitat for Humanity, the United Methodist Church and many other organizations.
• Sara Route is our newest member. She is a single mom who commutes to the Twin Cities for her job as a kitchen designer. Sara brings fresh perspective and new enthusiasm to our board, and will be focusing on developing partnerships within the business community.

I feel very privileged to work with these wonderful people; they inspire me to be a better person. As you are out in the community volunteering, I would imagine that you, too, encounter extraordinary people who inspire you to be a better person. You may even be that person who is an inspiration to others. Help us to enhance and expand the culture of volunteerism. Here are two ways that you can help:

• Do you volunteer with someone who inspires you? If so, recognize their contribution by writing a one or two paragraph story about that individual and posting it on our website: www.5thbridge.org. It is very simple and only takes a few minutes.
• Be a mentor and inspiration to someone who doesn’t usually volunteer. One of the three top reasons people do not volunteer is because “no one asked them.” Invite someone outside of your normal volunteer circles to participate in a project with you. Encourage them to take the volunteer pledge on our website, and we will help you to keep them involved so they too can experience the wonderful benefits of volunteering.

Thank you for caring, serving and giving. It makes all the difference in the world.

Sincerely,

Candy Taylor and your friends at 5th Bridge

P.S. Thank you to all of you who participated in the Feed My Starving Children event in December. Nearly 800 people ended up packing 205,000 meals. More photos of the event can be found here.