Connected in Isolation

​Congratulations on surviving an entire week of sheltering in place! Monday marked day one of online school for my own quaranTEENs and the first Monday of the first full week of total isolation.  

Yet, I do not feel isolated. In fact I have been on more webinars, calls, and online meetings than I think I was when we were all in our offices together. In some weird way, I feel more connected than ever.

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​Maybe it’s a renewed sense of purpose around our mission and hearing from my nonprofit friends how we can support their work. Maybe it’s the ability to provide timely guidance around federal legislation that can potentially help us all.

Maybe it’s because I just finished our team’s first all staff virtual happy hour where we grabbed our beverage of choice and just talked about anything but work. For sure, it creeped in here and there, but mostly we just talked. Connected. Laughed. It has been awhile since we were able to do that together.

Every single day I am beyond proud of how Idaho organizations are responding during this pandemic. Never have I ever been more pleased to be a part of the most thoughtful, creative, and giving group of professionals I have known.

I know that there are a lot of hard things out there and that things will likely get harder before they get better. Even as I type those words, I don’t want to. I am a glass half full, pollyanna kind of gal. I believe, and always have, in the goodness of our community. I believe that in the end we’ll all be OK. I believe that the lessons we are learning everyday will stay with us beyond the pandemic.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is one of daily gratitude. I am grateful my children are home, safe, and healthy. I am grateful for blue sky and sunshine. I am grateful for the hot cup of coffee from the coffee maker that I don’t have to drink in the car and hope I don’t spill on my rush into the office.

I am grateful for the walks I get to take with my dog. I am grateful to cook dinner for my family every night. I am also grateful that I’m not rushing somewhere to do something that I won’t remember next week. I am grateful for the slower pace of life. Work is not slowing down, but the time I have with my family is precious and while it’s not easy with quaranTEENagers, I’m still glad that I know where they are and that they are safe.  

I am also incredibly grateful for all of our frontline helpers, everyone from our grocery store staff to our health care workers who literally put their own lives on the line every day to help us all. I am grateful to all the nonprofits caring for our communities most vulnerable. Thank you just doesn’t seem sufficient, yet it’s all I have right now.

I am also so proud of how our fellow nonprofits have stepped up and stepped in to fulfill their missions, regardless of where their current financial position stands. You, my friends, exemplify putting others’ needs before our own. I’m so proud to play a small part in your work.

I hope that the information we share with you has, and continues to be helpful to you. There are many programs out there designed to support our nonprofit sector and in the days and weeks ahead we’ll still be here to help you sort it all out and make the best decisions.

We are here to help you through this challenging time, so please let us know how we can best support you. Email [email protected] with resource requests or advice to share. I know you have read this a million times, but we truly are all in this together. We are stronger together, and together we’ll make it through. Thank you, for all you do to support our communities. You’re such a blessing to everyone.

- Amy Little, CEO of Idaho Nonprofit Center