Year-End Thank You from BTG’s Director

Dear Friend of BTG,

We miss seeing you face to face. We miss the big groups of volunteers who were at every workday. We miss your hugs afterwards. Without you, we weren’t sure if we could move forward. But we should have known that in spite of a pandemic, you would find ways to keep helping Bridging The Gap.

Just when we thought we would have to do the work alone, you went rogue. Hardy, small masked groups started showing up, often without being asked, to plant 1,716 trees, gather seed, and recycle. Traffic to the KCMO Community Recycling Centers increased 22 percent as patrons and volunteers captured every scrap of cardboard from increased online shopping, going out of their way to create a closed-loop economy.

When we pivoted our annual gala to an online event, volunteers gathered items for our silent auction, and hundreds of you tuned in, bid on auction items, bought locally produced meals, and sent us donations. Nearly 250 of you tuned in to virtual Green Business Network events and kept your corporate green teams active from home. You provided support that allowed for new programs, such as Leak Stoppers, installing water-thrifty devices in homes challenged by high water bills.

We’re grateful for your support, as climate change becomes a top national issue and BTG is asked to provide regional solutions. We’re deeply committed to doing more than our share, to right the historic and contemporary wrongs done to communities of color. In the crucible of change, in the hardest of times, we see that we can still help lead environmental and social progress.

We are humbled by our community and ready to continue this important work as we move into the new year, but always, and only, with your help. Will you help by making a year-end donation to Bridging The Gap?

 

With gratitude,
Kristin Riott
Executive Director, Bridging The Gap