First and foremost, albeit belated, we wish all of you in the Chester Eastside orbit a healthy and prosperous new year: may it be filled with inspiring adventures, new lifelong memories, and abiding joy. If you’re wondering about the above “we”…it is the board, staff, and volunteers who keep the CEI wheels rolling.
It is also the “we” who extend the deepest appreciation and gratitude to those whose financial gifts keep CEI on the tracks running full steam ahead. Those gifts make all things possible: the staff, food, program supplies, and equipment we need to offer the services we provide. To be sure, many of the staff, board, and volunteers offer not just their time, but their talents.
This New Year’s message is an expression of gratitude for all who offered their financial resources to support the core mission of CEI in 2022. The local businesses who took up collections of funds, food, gift cards, and…turkeys! The corporations who commit to matching employee donations to the charities they cherish. The city, state, and federal staff who work tirelessly to funnel funds to nonprofits seeking and serving to improve the quality of life in their communities. The legion of individuals who trust us with their hard earned money because they recognize the value of healthy communities, and deeply believe that all people should have access to the basic necessities of life.
We would be remiss if we did not offer a special shout out to the many houses of worship that continue to support CEI year after year. Last year congregational giving accounted for 25% of our total revenue. Having been created by the Presbytery of Philadelphia (1985), we lift up the Presbyterian Churches in and around Chester that accounted for 63% of the total funds received from church communities.
Yes, the numbers are in; the books for 2022 are bound with a bow. I’ve long believed that if you want to know what is important to someone, look at the expense side on one of their bank statments (with permission, of course). Like all registers, the expense figures in the CEI budget directly reflect our passions, priorities, and practices. On the revenue side, we are blessed beyond measure to appear on the expense side in the registers of so many dedicated people literally across the country. So much so that in 2022 that we ended the year with a budget surplus.
Now, having extolled the virtue of numbers, I offer that the largest importance lies beneath them. Yes, money matters…but: with every contribution comes a vote of confidence, trust, and faith. Every last one, no matter the size, fuels the radical hope of a transformed world. With all of them comes affirmation of our mission, and solidarity in pursuing its fulfillment.
To all who have given out of their abundance seeking to eradicate poverty, injustice, and oppression, we offer our pledge that as we humbly receive your trust, we will work tirelessly to make the most out of every last cent.
Peace,
Andy, on behalf of “we”