Irving Kristol

And to that I would expand the thought by saying, it is the small groups with dedicated people who have the intimate understanding of local conditions and needs that may, in aggregate, do the most good.

UMCC has 50 of those small groups which do good--no, they do a lot of good--as they understand local conditions and local needs. Together, they do a tremendous amount of good for people trying to improve their standard of living.

United Mid-Coast Charities, now in its 68th year of continuous service, is proud to represent these fifty agencies for you. Someone said to me just the other day, "I know I cannot give to all these agencies, but UMCC does that for me." That's the way you can do the most good, or a lot of good, by contributing to UMCC which reaches about 35% of the people in need through the social agencies to which we award money. It takes energy and dedication by many people to fulfill those 50 missions.

Just who are those people doing a lot of good? They are our friends, neighbors and professionals whom we have come to call the "inconspicuous among us". They are individuals we don't see or hardly ever hear from. They are the compassionate caregivers who show patience and empathy in difficult situations.

They are the Literacy Volunteers teaching adults to read. They are the folks who deliver Meals on Wheels to a housebound invalid. They are the consoling spirits on the phone to a caller who is a domestic abuse victim. They are the visiting nurses making home calls on patients who need professional intervention. They are the teachers in preschool environments providing childhood education. They are the volunteers building decent and affordable houses for low income working families.

They are hospice volunteers giving non-medical support and assistance to the incurably ill. There are hundreds of these people completing the missions of 50 agencies, quietly and inconspicuously. They need,really need,your support and mine.

Do you ever hear the names of these mortal angels of compassion? No, or hardly ever. They are inconspicuous, but we know they are doing a lot of good. They do not seek publicity or recognition, but they have our admiration. Know that the coupling of donations by direct contributions to UMCC, together with the dedication of volunteers and professionals alike, is the formula or model many agencies have for success. We cannot always measure the impact of our charitable contributions or know whose lives are changed by our generosity, except by the confidence that UMCC knows where the needs are greatest.

I have always said that the true meaning of philanthropy is when donors care enough about a cause to be willing to make sacrifices to support organizations that are addressing the issues they care deeply about. In this time of scarce resources we really do believe that giving is embedded in our culture. Studies do truly indicate that we as a society are becoming more compassionate and collaborative in our need to survive in today's society. Other studies conclude that the more generous we are, the more respect we enjoy.

The capacity to create the changes we want to see in our communities, country and world resides where it has always been& in our thoughts. What are we waiting for?