It’s done!  After 24 hours the much ballyhooed Minnesota “Give to the Max Day” is done and thanks to 62,740 donors $18,063,598 was raised benefitting 5,694 Minnesota nonprofits and schools.

Whew!  

Spare Key, http://www.sparekey.org, was one of those 5,964 Minnesota nonprofits and schools that is the beneficiary of the generosity of tens of thousands of Minnesotans who donated their time and treasure to support others.

Its days like Give to the Max Day that reminds me what good is in people.  It’s not like people aren’t good the other 364 days of the year to charity and causes to benefit humanity.  Because they are.  I can attest to that as the Executive Director of a small non-profit that — each year — each day — every week and every month — is supported by people who send us their dollars or donate their time to help people they will never meet.  Do not know.  

But whose generosity changes their lives in seen and unseen ways.

Our own effort for Give to the Max Day was called “Sweat to the Max” and thanks to the incredible kindness of Mike Jones and his entire ownership team, trainers and staff at Union Fitness, http://www.dorealwork.com, we far exceeded our financial goals for the day.  

Hundreds of CrossFitters gathering for classes at CrossFit St. Paul, CrossFit St. Louis Park and CrossFit Minneapolis did tens of thousands of Burpees as a way to generate funds and awareness for Spare Key.  

We are delighted at the many new donors that donated their Burpees to Spare Key — and their dollars.

Yet, it’s not the money that moves me every time I am involved with these types of events.

It’s the pure sense of generosity of so many people.  Not just to Spare Key — but to 5,694 Minnesota nonprofits and schools.

On Give to the Max Day — and the other 364 days of the year.

I did some Burpees.  I am paying for it today.  Yet, the aches and pains pale in comparison to the aches and pains of the tens of thousands of Minnesotans every year who depend upon the services of programs like Spare Key and 5,693 other Minnesota nonprofits and schools.

If not for the efforts of organizations like GiveMN — their dedicated staff–and the companies and foundations that support their efforts for days like “Give to the Max Day” there would be far more aches and pains in Minnesota.

I know that my staff views their work at Spare Key as a vocation.  I suspect the team at GiveMN does, too.  It is a job.  But it is public service.  And, both are important to our community as a whole.

Today is the day after Give to the Max Day.  Our needs for donors to support our efforts continues today.  There will be more direct mail — more phone calls — more events — more pleas for dollars to help more Minnesotans.

It’s what we do to do what we have to do. 

And, every day — every week — month and year — what Minnesotans do is Give to the Max.

It’s what they do to help us do what we have to do. 

One day.  Every day.

Today is Spare Key’s Thanks to the Max Day.

Thank you!