Archive for the ‘Profiles of passion and courage’ Category
Posted by Gayle Gifford on January 5, 2009 in Communicating, Great quotes, Profiles of passion and courage, Public engagement
Senator Claiborne Pell and Gayle Gifford 1981
It’s not often that I get weepy over the death of a politician. But I couldn’t help tearing up when I heard New Year’s Day that former Senator Claiborne Pell had died. While he served Rhode Island for six terms in the Senate, he truly was a Senator for all of us, a man who believed in public service as a noble calling, and had faith in the power of civility and diplomacy. He worked tirelessly for international peace, human rights, education, the arts and scholarship, the environment and historic preservation.
He was quirky, the way we like our politicians in RI. Known for his frayed cuffs and collars, his summer seersucker suits, he was a patrician beloved by the working class, interested both in science and UFOs and ESP. He defined his Senate job as “translate ideas into action and help people.” Read More >>
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Posted by Gayle Gifford on November 17, 2008 in Big ideas, Profiles of passion and courage
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you must work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
Nelson Mandela
This picture shows Mandela with F.W. de Klerk, his lifelong enemy. De Klerk represented a ruthless and racist regime that used massacre, torture, infiltration and assassination over decades in relentless efforts to destroy Mandela and his colleagues in the South African resistance movement. Yet Mandela had the wisdom to make de Klerk his partner-adversary in creating a new South Africa. Mandela’s own release from prison in 1990 after 28 years, was just one milestone in that long and difficult partnership. Four years later, Mandela’s African National Congress won South Africa’s first non-racial election, ending apartheid and creating a peace which lasts to the present day.
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Posted by Gayle Gifford on November 10, 2008 in Great quotes, Profiles of passion and courage
Today’s quote comes from author, activist and extraordinary woman,? Helen Keller, and is a reminder that we still need to reach for our grand vision, even in the most trying of times.
“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”
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Posted by Gayle Gifford on November 3, 2008 in Big ideas, Great quotes, Profiles of passion and courage
We believe that ordinary human beings can create a world of opportunity, liberty, civil & human rights, human dignity, shared abundance, beauty, healthy natural resources and healthy, compassionate people together in a world of peace and prosperity.
That’s why we do the work that we do. Because we see nonprofits as essential to bringing that hope to pass.
So, on this momentous day, we thought we’d share a few words in the same spirit from our President to be and wish him great luck and all of our assistance on this journey:
“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it?s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers ? in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people…”
“America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves ? if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
“…This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time ? to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth ? that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can?t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
“Yes We Can.”?Excerpts from victory speech of President-elect, Barack Obama
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Posted by Gayle Gifford on October 5, 2008 in Big ideas, Communicating, Nonprofit Highlights, Profiles of passion and courage
Last night, Jon and I attended WaterFire Providence’s special ceremony “A Thousand Ships.”
2008 marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition in the United States of the transatlantic slave trade. Some of you may have seen last year’s movie, Amazing Grace, which chronicles the two decade long struggle of MP Wilbur Wilberforce to end the trade in Britain. The hymn itself was written Read More >>
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Posted by Gayle Gifford on August 27, 2008 in Nonprofit Highlights, Profiles of passion and courage, Strategic Thinking
If I could, I would nominate Barnaby Evans, the creator of WaterFire, for a MacArthur Fellowship (aka, the “genius” awards). But unfortunately, these fellowships don’t have an open nomination process.
If you haven’t experienced WaterFire, I urge you to come to Providence one of the nights that the fires burn. Thousands of people, from all walks of life, stroll the walkways that align Providence’s downtown rivers to contemplate and participate in this extraordinary work of public art and urban community. A fabulous article in the Washington Post a few years ago so well describes the magic of this event and the herculean effort to put it together, that I needn’t go into the details here.
WaterFire’s creator, 
Barnaby Evans is one of the most generous and thoughtful individuals that I have met. Did I also say brilliant? That too.
For over 12 years, Barnaby has been” sculpting” this extraordinary phenomenon. For those of you who have run special events, you know how much work each event entails. Well, imagine the effort to run an event for tens of thousands of people, then do that on average 13 nights from May to June each year! Most normal humans would collapse Read More >>
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