Thank You Friends!
Dear Friends of Hoffman,
I wrote to you earlier this month to ask for help to meet an ambitious match during our fundraiser. Today, I am so thrilled to share that not only were we able to make the match, but we were able to exceed our original goal by more than $25,000!
Thank you so much for your generosity and support. I could not imagine a more exciting bookend to my first year at Hoffman Center for the Arts.
I’ve spent the past 12 months getting to know Hoffman and acclimating to my new community. I anticipated that it would take a while for me to develop meaningful relationships. Not only are we all continuing to recover from a period of extreme isolation, but my hire meant significant change for an organization that had already been trucking along for nearly 20 years. I expected, and embraced, that it would take a while for folks to accept me.
But the reality has been different: from the start, I have been overwhelmingly welcomed and supported. Every day when I come to the building, I get to talk with the most amazing volunteers, friends, and neighbors. I enjoy our conversations so much I sometimes actually have to leave the office to get work done! I have felt appreciated, recognized, and, most importantly, trusted.
And, I have learned how unique this community is. On the North Coast, we know our neighbors. The post office calls my cell phone when I mess up the address on a package…it takes me an hour to get through the farmers market because I know all the vendors….One-to-one relationships are increasingly precious and, in my opinion, incredibly valuable.When I look at this community, I see so much potential in our collectiveness.
We live in a small, rural town. It can get lonely. Most of my highlights of the last year have taken place at Hoffman, where I’ve met new friends through taking a class, going to the clay studio, or even just while I’m eating lunch in the Wonder Garden. We NEED places like Hoffman to connect and nourish our community.
And, I’ll be the first to say we have work to do to better understand and define our ever-changing population. This month, we will draft our three-year strategic plan. With this plan and community input, we will be able to build capacity, diversify programming, and expand partnerships like never before, so that we can be a better conduit to strengthen and connect North Oregon Coast communities.
Thank you for helping us get to this point; we could not do it without you. It’s an honor to lead this incredible organization, and I am excited and energized by the road ahead.
With gratitude,
India Downes-Le Guin
Executive Director
[email protected]
