by Bill Sutton, Sacred Fire Community Executive Director
I’d like to tell you a bit about the leadership training being offered to the board of directors and staff of the Sacred Fire Community organization this February, and how this affects you as well as the whole community. And, I’d like to make an appeal for your assistance in helping some key members of our staff attend this important training.
We don’t have a lot of examples of truly good leadership in our society, and those of us called or inspired to serve in leadership positions as volunteers have engaged in a path of serious learning. Individually and as a group we’ve made progress but, however good our intentions, we have also made many mistakes.
Our community and our organization is facing a critical time of growth where we need to more fully empower and entrust a greater number of people as leaders — leaders who know how to hold the vision of the Sacred Fire Community, and leaders who know how to inspire and maintain a trusted relationship with those they work with and with the community at large.
Those of us attending the training are on our own in covering the expenses, which will run to around $2500 each. The people we need to bring to this training have been extending themselves on behalf of the community — both in time and finances — for many years. There are eight of us attending but Annie King, Sherry Boatright, Erin Everett, and Jeff Bartlett need financial help in order to attend. As most of you know, they have been holding key leadership positions for many years, in which they have contributed great amounts of time on behalf of the community.
The future of the work of the SFC and the community itself depends on our leaders coming together and learning together how to be truly great leaders. As an organization we are at a difficult crossroads — we are applying to become a 501(c)(3), but are not yet allowed to legally fundraise as a nonprofit typically does.
The SFC organization is about to undergo a real fresh start. As a nonprofit organization and with David Wiley, Karen Fernandez, Roger Menadue and Susan Skinner serving as our Board, we are creating a realistic plan for the growth of the Sacred Fire Community. It is time for sacred Fire to be experienced by many who are looking for a way to find healing and want to make a difference. An important key to executing this inspired vision is well-trained leadership.
We need as much of $10,000 as we can raise to help Annie, Jeff, Erin and Sherry, four people you may know and love, to attend the leadership training this February. Because we have not yet filed our nonprofit application, your contribution will not be tax deductible — it will be a gift of iyari – service of self to others. Please contribute today and invest in our community and the change we are bringing to the world through our Lifeways programs, Fire Circles, Reunions, Marketplace and many other activities. A gift of any size is greatly appreciated and will be used to pay the expenses of these deserving and hard working individuals. Thank you so much.
To make a contribution online, go to /contribute or you can mail a check to:
Sacred Fire Community
PO Box 6612
Longmont, CO 80501
With gratitude,
Bill Sutton
