Ecocentricity Blog: Thank You for Coming

Let’s see. How do I write this blog post without it sounding like every other “thank you for coming” that has ever been given? It’s like a wedding toast – original content is pretty much impossible to come by.

Instead, let’s just steer into the clichés, because they’re all true.

Our fifth annual RayDay this past Sunday was beautiful. We simply could not have done it without the hard work of so many people. RayDay has been the enduring vision of the Foundation Trustees from the beginning, their fitting tribute to Ray Anderson. Harriet, Mary Anne, Phil and Jaime, thank you for your generosity!   Valerie and Lori, our dedicated Foundation staff, put hours and hours into preparation for this day. With a decent bit of shame, I have to admit that RayDay takes place without my needing to do much. That’s because these two women make magic happen. Thank you for making my job so easy!   Sue Anne Morgan of idealand, along with the dozens of event staff orchestrating the affair, are absolutely amazing. And friendly, and helpful, and reliable, and … yeah, I think amazing is the right word. Thank you for running the show!   Once again, I was struck by the beauty and joy of the Serenbe community (I feel it every time I visit). The Nygren family has generously hosted our event each and every year, and I can’t imagine RayDay taking place anywhere else. As Steve Nygren often says, Serenbe wouldn’t exist without Ray’s encouragement of their vision. Steve, RayDay wouldn’t exist without your continuing friendship with our family! Thank you for sharing your home with us.   Many good friends travelled from far away to be with us. In particular, Lisa Lilienthal flew from California, Alan Anderson from Washington, and Dianne Dillon-Ridgley from Iowa. Friends, you honor us by making this trip every RayDay. Ray loved you each dearly, and our family loves you still. Thank you for making our celebration such a priority!   RayDay is about family, nature, humanity and love. At a fundamental level though, RayDay is about gratitude to the amazing companies and nonprofits who are committed to environmental stewardship. To those who set up booths and proudly represented your organizations, thank you for the work that you do and the passion with which you do it!   RayDay is also one heck of a party! The vendors providing the food, drink and entertainment are smile-makers. I saw grins and laughs everywhere I looked. Thank you for the joy you add to RayDay.   Finally, to the nearly 2000 people who came to RayDay, my sincerest gratitude to you as well. The event has grown every year, which means we must be doing something right. I call RayDay our environmental family reunion. That makes you the family! Thank you for spending your Sunday afternoon with us, and I hope you came away inspired.   RayDay 2017 is in the books. Time to get started on planning RayDay 2018!     Mark it on your calendars: Sunday, October 14, 2018 at Serenbe.