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Former Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region CEO Marcus Allen <\/p>\nA few months ago, Rev. Bill Golderer did what Golderer often does: He picked up the phone, called one of the many nonprofit leaders he has known through decades of community service, and asked him how he\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Listen to the interview edition here:
The answer surprised him. \u201cI\u2019m doing much better,\u201d the man told him, \u201cnow that I have a new morning routine. I drop off my little girl to school every morning, and then around the corner, there\u2019s a really nice state park. I pull the car in, and I look at the trees, and then I just let myself cry until I can\u2019t cry anymore. And then I drive in to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait, what?\u201d asked Golderer, president\/CEO of United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. (United Way is a supporter of The Citizen.)<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d the man replied, \u201clet\u2019s start with the state budget not being passed [at the time, it was still being wrangled], and federal cuts that have resulted in layoffs, with more layoffs to come. I love my people, and I love that they will do anything for anyone, and they are being impacted by this, and there\u2019s nothing I can do about it, and that makes me feel terrible.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then I\u2019m planning a gala that I don\u2019t even want to go to, and I have to smile and be happy about it. And if I don\u2019t smile and be happy about it, and we don\u2019t hit our numbers, I\u2019m going to have to let more people go. And then when you take into account the wider world, and how that sits with me, about what kind of country I live in, I\u2019m just having a hard time. So I cry most mornings, and then I can go in and face the team with a brave face.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region CEO Marcus Allen <\/p>\n
Even for a nonprofit leader who spends his days doing the hard and emotionally taxing work of caring for those in need, this is not normal. And Golderer realized he\u2019d been hearing a version of this story from many folks throughout the region over the last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring Covid, we felt like we\u2019d been brought together, and now we feel alone again,\u201d Golderer says. \u201cWhen we come together, we feel depleted because we\u2019re trying to put on a show.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why, along with his friend and former longtime Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region CEO Marcus Allen<\/a>, Golderer launched what he\u2019s calling The Lift, a night that will celebrate nonprofit leaders from around the area. Golderer brought the idea to Fitler Club, whose president, Jacob Smith, signed on to host the event for some 250 Philadelphia service providers. There\u2019ll be live music led by gospel conductor J. Donald Dumpson<\/a>; a conversation with Rev. Alyn Waller, pastor of Enon Tabernacle Church; and food, drinks and a chance to socialize with like-minded Philadelphians doing the hard work every day.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a very obscure Bible verse that\u2019s important to me,\u201d Golderer says, \u201cwhich is about learning how to cultivate gratitude in every season \u2014 seasons of hardship and then seasons of joy. It\u2019s almost impossible to do that by yourself. So we\u2019re inviting people to be together, to think about our current circumstances, recognize how hard it is and recognize that we\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n I caught up with Golderer to talk about The Lift, and what it means to support those who support the rest of us. This interview has been condensed and edited.<\/p>\n Why did you decide to organize the Lift now \u2014 and whom to invite?<\/p>\n People are in the dumps. I\u2019m sure people who work in other sectors have reasons to be very unhappy, but this is for people who serve others. They are employers of dedicated staff. They\u2019ve always had to do more with less, and they sign up to that willingly, but it\u2019s gotten almost impossibly hard and so we just want to remind people that they\u2019re not by themselves. This isn\u2019t supposed to be a mourning session. There\u2019s supposed to be joy here. Everybody\u2019s suffering in their own way, but joy can be together.<\/p>\n I got on a call with Marcus and we started with our own rings of association \u2014 people we know, who are doing the right things, and need a boat. Then there are those who don\u2019t necessarily do direct service, but are people from the funding community, from the business community, who are good actors in Philadelphia, and need to be recognized as such. I don\u2019t want to get weird, but it\u2019s kind of like what I imagine heaven to be like. You walk in, and you\u2019re like, oh shit, you\u2019re here? Awesome.<\/p>\n Your story about the man who cries before work everyday is heartbreaking. How are you getting through these trying times?<\/p>\n Pain has always been a part of the human condition. The suffering of my neighbor is very real in my life, and I hate when people suffer needlessly. If I believed that the world is as it appears \u2014 that the people who are seen as influential or powerful or important are actually those who are most important \u2014 then I would have lost my mind a long time ago. The powers and principles that stand now are not enduring, and they don\u2019t have the last word. I believe in the Beatitudes<\/a>. That is not \u201cBlessed are the powerful, for they shall surely call the shots.\u201d I\u2019ve seen in breaking that notion a better world.<\/p>\n I also read Scripture and listen to Scripture every day, at length, and a lot of the prophets are on heavy rotation right now.<\/p>\n What do you hope people take away from this event on Tuesday night?<\/p>\n We\u2019ve all been very busy since, like, Labor Day, and everyone\u2019s really tired. On Thanksgiving, they just want to eat some turkey, maybe see their family and watch football. And that sounds delightful, but in any kind of celebration, there\u2019s often a deeper level upon which to celebrate. And there\u2019s something deeper and more necessary this Thanksgiving than maybe just turkey and football, like trying to find a way to help, to remind each other that there is reason to be grateful, even in the midst of deep adversity. I\u2019m hoping people can feel that kind of duality of, yes, this shit is awful and also, I have reason to give thanks, because of the people around me, because others are thinking about me.<\/p>\n This is an expression, from me and Marcus, that these people have been on our mind, and I think being thought of \u2014 like when someone picks up the phone and says, I\u2019ve been thinking about you \u2014 registers in a deep place, because to be on someone\u2019s mind is to be loved.<\/p>\n That\u2019s beautiful, thank you.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762574477_111_nl_bolt600-copy.jpg\"\/)
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