December 21, 2021
Dear friends of Hope for Creation,
Greetings on the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year.
These shorter, colder days encourage stillness and reflection, and as I reflect on this year I’m filled with gratitude and awe at all that Hope for Creation has accomplished in 2021.
Here are some of the ways Hope for Creation made a difference this year:
- Offering regular Green Team webinars, with topics ranging from environmentalism in religious education to green burial
- Providing volunteers at the City of Kalamazoo’s quarterly polystyrene recycling pilot program
- Hosting a June tour of congregational gardens and grounds
- Encouraging houses of worship to install electric vehicle chargers
- Committing financial and in-kind support to the new garden at Allen Chapel AME Church
- Official affiliating with the growing Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition
- Participating in the electric vehicle expo at People’s Church
- Organizing an interfaith Harvest of Unity celebration, with remarks by seven local clergy
- Hiring a part-time Communications Assistant to increase our capacity to share information with the community
- Discussing the book, Me and White Supremacy, with our members and friends
- Bringing the voices of the faith community to an advocacy effort focusing on county-wide climate action planning
- Launching a delicious series of Purposefully Plant-Based Recipes, available soon on our brand-new website.
In recognition of these and other efforts, Hope for Creation was awarded the 2021 Westminster Peace Prize by Westminster Presbyterian Church in Portage.
Financial donations and volunteers have made all these projects possible. We are so very grateful for the generous support that is allowing our relationships to multiply and our collective voice to grow louder as we work toward creation of a just and sustainable community.
If you are able, we invite you to donate to Hope for Creation and help us continue to expand the influence of people of faith and conscience working for immediate and just climate action at all levels in southwest Michigan. Here’s how to make a donation.
Your donation this year may qualify for a special deduction on your tax return for charitable giving. Taxpayers who take the standard deduction can claim a deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions ($600 for married couples filing jointly) to qualifying charities made in 2021. It's a temporary break, set to expire on January 1.
If you’d like to contribute specifically to our new Seed Fund, which will help support new and emerging congregational gardening initiatives, please include “Hope for Creation Seed Fund” in the memo line of your check, or send me a quick email when you make an online donation.
Thank you very much, and all best wishes for a healthy and sustainable New Year.
Warmly,
Joan Hawxhurst
Coordinator of Hope for Creation
