“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world,” Margaret Mead said. “Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

What Mead was talking about includes the modern non-profit organization, which at its core is a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens. Today, northeast Indiana is blessed with many such organizations. Collectively, they are an indispensable part of our daily lives for a variety of reasons.

When our neighbors cannot provide food or shelter for their family, a food bank or shelter will often fill the void.

Teaching an illiterate adult to read, helping an amputee to walk, and providing a safe and caring after-school environment for children are also all critical basic needs that area charities provide.

Our community is filled with charitable services
that enrich our lives not because we have to pay for them, but because we want to.

The strength of our community’s charitable sector is a measure of our society’s moral and ethical principles. None of us would want to live in a community that does not feed the poor, shelter the homeless and care for the sick and infirmed.

But good works don’t stop there. Visit many countries and you probably won’t find historic preservation organizations, public television or radio stations, people who help others through the grieving process or child-abuse prevention charities.

We value and support these types of organizations because we want our friends and neighbors – and people we don’t even know – to have access to those services. Because we have those services, all of our lives are enriched.

Finally, charities provide vessels for creativity. Without the charitable sector, many of us would not have the opportunity to watch a play, listen to great live music, dance, view works of art or experience different cultures. Festivals, performances and theatrical productions all expand our appreciation of the aesthetics of the world around us. Thanks to many great non-profit organizations, music, art, dance, singing and other cultural activities can thrive.

We as citizens have a moral imperative to support the charitable organizations that promote our diverse society. Those organizations also have an obligation to deliver their services in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

Are there opportunities to restructure our non-profit sector to find a better way to provide services?

We owe it to ourselves to take a serious look at the question, because doing so will make our community a better place to live.

Thoughtful, committed citizens are still changing the world, every day. They work for, volunteer with and provide gifts to the charities that make Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana great.

Written by Community Foundation Executive Director David Bennett