By Craig Weatherly, TPCCC Board Member

We all respond to pain and pleasure. We choose to do things that bring us pleasure. As human beings, we like to feel good, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Consider the times you donate money to causes and organizations that are important to you. You don’t resent doing so. It feels right to make that commitment. The reason for reaching into one’s pocket and giving money to a place like Turning Point Center of Chittenden County can be personal, philosophic, even strategic.

When you give, you become part of a solution. You may not have the time or the skill set to be directly involved with the center, but your role as a donor can have an equally significant impact on the organization’s mission. Lots of buildings have been named for donors whose efforts and financial contributions made it possible for organizations to achieve what would have been mere dreams without that support. Giving is your opportunity to help this center in the pursuit of its mission, to be part of the organization’s success.

You may have heard the saying “Give until it hurts.” That’s an uncomfortably negative proposition. How about: “Give until it feels good.” Giving should be a pleasurable activity. That was the case when Turning Point Center of Chittenden County had an opportunity to realize its dream of carrying out a capital campaign to purchase a home of its own.The center had landed a substantial grant to help with the purchase, but it had to be matched with private donations in a  limited amount of time.

The Center’s leaders approached one of its regular supporters and asked for that match. Because of that gift, the center is in a facility today that serves those in the midst of their recovery journey in ways it could never do before. And that donor most certainly was able to feel very good indeed about helping to make that dream a reality.

Not all giving has such a direct impact, of course. But it doesn’t have to. If you are aligned with the goals and the mission of this organization, merely helping to keep the lights on can be enough for you to be part of the solution to the substance abuse scourge in our community. You are advancing a cause that you deem to be worthy. You are helping Turning Point Center of Chittenden County extend a lifeline to those doing the hard work of reclaiming their lives.

When you give, consider not what it will cost you, but what it will do for you. Helping this center and all those it serves allows you to be a part of the work it does.

And that feels good.

Support the Turning Point Center by making an online donation.