Coming Together: Fundraising in the Age of COVID-19
As cliche as it sounds, almost every aspect of our world looks completely different this year than anything we could have imagined. 2020 has been the year of a global pandemic, civil unrest, and constant stress.
Everyone has been impacted by happenings of 2020 in some way or another, and that includes humans and animals alike. In fact, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that 4.2 million pets will enter poverty in the next six months due to the COVID-19 crisis and its resulting financial strains on many Americans. This is where shelters, sanctuaries, and donations come in. Our B:Social group is lucky enough to be working with one such sanctuary, Chenoa Manor. Chenoa, located in Avondale, PA, is an animal sanctuary and learning center that incorporates Buddhist ideals into the care of its animal residents and the education of visitors.
Image courtesy of Chenoa Manor
In addition to big parts of our lives being affected this year, little things are different too. Our B:Social class has been affected by the coronavirus quite a bit. Instead of being able to meet in person twice a week with our group to learn and discuss new ideas, we now have regular meetings over Zoom. Instead of meeting up with our community partners, we communicate via email and video calls. Our group feels very lucky to still have the opportunity to visit Chenoa while maintaining social distancing guidelines and staying safe. We plan on visiting the manor next weekend, and are hoping to look around the farm and maybe visit some animals if we’re able. Being the only group able to actually visit their community partners, we feel very grateful and honored that we will be able to witness Chenoa’s passion for animal care and education in real time.
Although this year looks different for us all, we can all band together knowing 2020 has been a heck of a year. Luckily, there are funds, support groups, and sanctuaries like Chenoa that bring us together during tough times and give us hope for the year ahead. We’re looking forward to seeing Chenoa and its community of volunteers in action, and can’t wait to learn from Chenoa’s resident animals.
Our first (and last) in-person class meeting before we went fully remote.
