“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory…will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
– from President Abraham Lincoln’s Inaugural address, March 4, 1861
Dear member of the Shanti family,
This morning, I watched Hillary Clinton’s concession speech while holding my sleeping 17-month-old daughter in my arms. As Secretary Clinton encouraged us “to never stop believing that fighting for what is right is worth it,” the poignancy of last night’s election results overwhelmed me.
For 42 years, Shanti has been a catalyst – in San Francisco and across the country and world – in offering compassionate care. At the heart of our model lies the belief that our shared humanity is always stronger than any differences that may seem to separate us from one another.
When I showed up for my Shanti volunteer training in 2004, I immediately fell in love with this organization. Looking back, the training didn’t just teach me the skills I’d need to be an effective volunteer; it taught me how to live by, in the words of Lincoln, the better angels of our nature. I am looking forward to this weekend’s Shanti volunteer training, as I will have the honor to be surrounded by a new group of volunteers who are offering themselves to selfless service, with compassion and empathy, for some of our community’s most vulnerable. Because if there is one thing that is starkly clear to me right now, it’s how much we all need more compassion and empathy, and Shanti provides this.
I want to thank all of you for your support of Shanti. Though I’ve always cherished being a part of such a special community, my gratitude for the Shanti community and its work has never been greater than today, as we all brace for what’s next for our country.
In community,
This morning, I watched Hillary Clinton’s concession speech while holding my sleeping 17-month-old daughter in my arms. As Secretary Clinton encouraged us “to never stop believing that fighting for what is right is worth it,” the poignancy of last night’s election results overwhelmed me.
For 42 years, Shanti has been a catalyst – in San Francisco and across the country and world – in offering compassionate care. At the heart of our model lies the belief that our shared humanity is always stronger than any differences that may seem to separate us from one another.
When I showed up for my Shanti volunteer training in 2004, I immediately fell in love with this organization. Looking back, the training didn’t just teach me the skills I’d need to be an effective volunteer; it taught me how to live by, in the words of Lincoln, the better angels of our nature. I am looking forward to this weekend’s Shanti volunteer training, as I will have the honor to be surrounded by a new group of volunteers who are offering themselves to selfless service, with compassion and empathy, for some of our community’s most vulnerable. Because if there is one thing that is starkly clear to me right now, it’s how much we all need more compassion and empathy, and Shanti provides this.
I want to thank all of you for your support of Shanti. Though I’ve always cherished being a part of such a special community, my gratitude for the Shanti community and its work has never been greater than today, as we all brace for what’s next for our country.
In community,
Kaushik Roy
Executive Director
