We are so proud of St. Luke’s Board President Nancy Nagle who wrote a guest opinion that is featured today on the Opinion Pages of the Arizona Daily Star, above the fold! Full opinion follows below or click here to read on Star web site: https://tucson.com/opinion/local/nancy-nagle-recognizing-the-power-of-women-in-volunteering/article_7e7a50cc-7f27-5693-a6df-09a4e6f74cd4.html
International Women’s Day, celebrated March 8, is a day of global recognition of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The first International Women’s Day launched in 1911, just six years before a group of women in the small desert town of Tucson joined forces with the Reverend Julius Atwood to open a community-care facility for tubercular patients.
That facility has evolved over the last century to serve a range of populations in need. It stands today as St. Luke’s Home, a holistic assisted-living community for low-income elders. The group of women who made Atwood’s dream come true remain in force as the Board of Visitors, one of the oldest female volunteer organizations in Southern Arizona. A group of strong women who volunteer countless hours in support of St. Luke’s mission.
On April 6, the board hosts the 100th Baile de las Flores, the annual fundraising event for St. Luke’s Home. The board held a “Silver Tea” in 1918 to raise funds to build Reverend Atwood’s tubercular home. In 1919, the tea evolved to include a dance, drinks and dinner. In 1923, the event was named the Baile de las Flores and continues today as one of Tucson’s oldest charity events.
Fundraisers like the Baile de las Flores are the lifeblood of our region’s nonprofit community. They raise the operational dollars and recognition that are vital to keeping the doors of our nonprofits not just open but thriving. Most of us put on our good suits, tuxes and fancy dresses to attend these glittery events, with little thought to the many months of enormous hard work it takes to pull off evenings of flawless beauty.
Take a peek behind the scenes of any one of Tucson’s many fundraising events, though, and you will see a beehive of activity over many, many months — done largely by women.
Although many men also donate their time and treasure, female volunteers are the backbone of Tucson’s nonprofit sector. Women donate tireless hours, brilliant ideas and the relentless hard work it takes to host fundraising events that support nonprofits. For no pay and, often, little community recognition.
It is fitting on this International Women’s Day to pause a moment in honor of the armies of female volunteers who keep Tucson’s nonprofit sector humming. Like the Board of Visitors at St. Luke’s Home, you will likely find that the spirit and commitment of volunteerism have been passed through family lines and multiple generations, mother to daughter.
Hard data on the precise number of female volunteers and their economic contributions to our region are not readily available. This lack of gender-specific data is itself proof of how our female volunteers are taken too much for granted with scant acknowledgment of their economic clout.
On this day of recognition, take a moment to thank a female volunteer you know. Acknowledge the enormous amounts of time and talent they donate on behalf of the nonprofit organizations that are essential to the lives of individuals in need. Tucson relies on the female generosity, creativity and commitment that enable nonprofit organizations to do their vital work providing hope and easing the desperation of far too many of our Tucson community.
What better day than today to say thanks.