Alpha Connection

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since 1976, the United States has celebrated the generations of African Americans who faced adversity in America. We at the Alpha Connection would be remiss if we did not draw attention to this important heritage month.

Ideas to Learn More about African American History

Alpha Connection would like to urge you to use this month in reflection and in an effort to learn more. Here are some ideas for you and your family:

• Read amazing literature, perhaps from Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, or so many others
• Study remarkable scientists, such as Alice Ball, Benjamin Banneker, or George Robert Carruthers
• Investigate key events during the civil rights era, like Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the 1961 Freedom Rides, or Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Birmingham Demonstrations
• Marvel at inventions by African Americans, such as how Mary Van Brittan Brown coinvented a home security system in the 1960s or how in 1923 Garrett Morgan developed the 3-light traffic signal
• Identify and research critical periods in African American history, such as the middle passage, abolition, desegregation, or the Harlem Renaissance

Black Health and Wellness

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History picked the theme for 2022 as “Black Health and Wellness.” Perhaps Simone Biles’s bravery at the 2020 Olympics Summer Games influenced this decision. But unfortunately, Simone’s public acknowledgment of stress is typically not done. After her admission and following support from the world at large, other athletes came forward with their own stories of stress. As Simone found comfort in connecting with others, we strive to do the same with our short-term residential therapy program. Alpha Connections may not be a long-term facility or foster care, but we want to help our residents to live happy and healthy lives. As such, we value fitness, including mental, physical, social, and spiritual, as the top core area of well-being that we focus on.

Alpha Connection is naturally drawn to honoring Black History Month because of the many astonishing individuals who faced times of hardship and did not relent because of dire situations. Further, Black History Month is about providing understanding and growing knowledge for Americans. So take some time this month to reflect on and learn about these great achievements.

It’s fair to say that donations are the life-blood of the non-profit world. While there are certainly other forms of funding that can be and often are secured, the truth is that most non-profits place a great deal of emphasis on donations even when other forms of income are available. This isn’t because soliciting donations is easy or because they are always a better form of funding than other funding methods, but because of how donations tend to help non-profits fulfill their goals.

Connecting Non-Profits and the Community

A donation is more than just a monetary gift. In most circumstances, a donation is a direct tie of purpose between an individual or business in a community and the non-profit. When non-profits solicit donations, they’re looking for more than just a check; in most cases, these non-profits are looking for methods to ensure that they are meeting an important goal of the community at large. When there is a complete lack of interest in donations, a non-profit must either conclude that there is something about their message that is not being communicated properly or that their reason for existence is not one championed by the broader community.

Help them to stay connected to the very people who they are trying to serve

Donations work not only as a funding source, but also as a way for a non-profit to measure that reception of its message in a broader context. Without being able to see the hard numbers that come in from a donation drive, it can be difficult for a non-profit to check to see if its messaging is still on point. As such, donations can be thought of as a powerful metric for helping non-profits to ensure that they are still engaging with the community in ways that not only help them to stay financially afloat, but that also help them to stay connected to the very people who they are trying to serve.