The joy in my office

Hopefully you have seen the news. We are just one short week away from moving to a new location.This is big news to anyone working out of our headquarters office in Raleigh; maybe not so much to everyone else. We have decluttered, we have sorted, we have boxed, we have purged and we have determined our level of joy in direct relation to all the items in our work spaces. We are just about ready.

Packing up goes something like this:

Ok, I am going to spend 30 minutes going through this drawer. And then the next 50 minutes are a combination similar to visiting a museum (a paper file museum, now that is a great idea) a trip down memory lane and an opportunity to recall some great plans, ideas and people that you might not have thought of lately.

I do not envy Cherry Ballard this week, as she is the employee who has the longest history with the Foundation and is the person to whom we each turn. We walk into her office with a photo, or a note or an article and say “remember this?” Or, who was this? Or how did I end up with this? Should I keep this? She has been amazingly patient and kind with all of us, and I am grateful for her clear head and perspective.

I have learned some things about our history just in the last week. I have been moved by the handwritten notes I've unearthed penned by our founder Lewis Holding, sent to fundholders, prospective donors and board members. His passion and belief that the North Carolina Community Foundation was the answer to our state’s philanthropy needs and opportunities came through in every word he wrote.

I found the notes from my first presentation to staff where I shared my vision about where we were headed. I’ve saved notes from board members containing suggestions, feedback and resignations. I kept photos of people who made an impact on me as I worked to learn more about community foundations. Many of those people are still involved today, some have passed.

These things are all worth remembering. Time moves so quickly; I am grateful for the opportunity to sift through some of the memories, both mine and our institution’s.

What a history we share.

Please note that we are moving to our new headquarters offices at 3737 Glenwood Ave, Suite 460, Friday, Oct. 7. Our phones and network will likely be down from Oct. 6 until Oct. 11. Please leave us messages or emails; we will be able to retrieve them all, and we will get back to you as soon as we can!