Dear Docent Family,
It is the time of year to give thanks, yet many of us are not feeling so thankful for 2020. What a bleak year. I know many of you are directly affected by the virus, and I admire your strength and perseverance to carry on. For the rest of us– we, too, must carry on. There is a brighter future coming (looking at you, Pfizer and Moderna), but for now we are once again hunkering down at home.
Nevertheless, we have had some really bright spots over the past month. Since I last wrote to you, our extended OHC was a huge success. Was it as big as usual? Of course not. But what a job staff, docents, and volunteers did to pivot to a virtual OHC. I continue to be impressed by how much we are learning to create content in different ways. And we will continue to do so even when this is over (another side glance at Pfizer and Moderna).
Another recent highlight was our All Docent Day, albeit a half-day this year. Adam Rubin gave an outstanding presentation on inclusivity. If you were unable to attend, I urge you to watch/re-watch the video of the presentation that can be found on the Bridge.
I never want to pass up an opportunity to thank those docents who have been out on the street, giving core and neighborhood tours as we moved into fall. We saw mostly members on the walking tours, and keeping these members happy will help us retain them and the revenue of membership renewals. And thanks to those who spent some cold weekends on our river cruise. The River Cruise ended one weekend early this year, but docents really enabled CAC to continue an important revenue stream.
And we find ourselves, once again, in a complete pause during the most recent stay-at-home order. Hopefully, we will be back out on the street soon (pleading look at Pfizer and Moderna).
For many, Thanksgiving, like every holiday since March, will not feel normal. I usually have a house full of my extended family—14 adults. This year, only Janet and I will be making Thanksgiving dinner. This is the first time just the two of us will share this meal. While it would be easy to feel sorry for ourselves, I refuse! Instead, I will give thanks for all that I have. And that includes my friends at CAC.
Friends, I hope to see you all soon.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kent
Thank you for the lovely letter, Kent. You’re right, despite it all, we have much to be thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving to you and to all my friends at CAC!
Thank you, Kent, for this up-beat and inspiring letter that, yet, remains realistic. Thanks to all of the wonderful people in our lives!
Thanks, Kent, for your calm & reassuring demeanor!