Call it what you will: A kick in the shins, an insult to injury, or just a plain-old fashioned, “Oh no!”
But as 2021’s final act, we lost one of America’s favorite funny ladies – Betty White.
I’m usually not a celebrity super fan. However the accolades and tributes rolling in for her over the weekend almost turned me into one, because as it turns out, Betty wasn’t just an amazing entertainer. She was also an extraordinary human being.
It seemed that for every social cause – from animal welfare and military service, to civil rights – there was a story about how she had made a difference.
The wide variety of causes that Betty supported reminded me of the diversity of non-profit organizations that ALAN is privileged to help.
Over the course of a typical year, we work with numerous groups that serve veterans, combat hunger, rescue animals, assist those experiencing homelessness, and support response and recovery efforts. In fact, each of these non-profit organizations meets such a diverse list of needs (check out some of them here, and let us know if you can help) that you might wonder what they have in common (besides, of course, the obvious desire to serve their neighbors).
The answer from ALAN’s perspective is obvious: All of these organizations rely on logistics services/equipment to fulfill their mission, including many that they either can’t afford or find. And we’re there to help them fill those gaps with donated space, services and equipment.
And that’s where another shining example of variety comes in: Our partner associations – and all of their members who step up to provide the services that these non-profits need.
I get such a kick out of looking at the rainbow of logos that represent each of our member associations on ALAN’s website. But even more than the logos, I love knowing that each of these associations represents numerous companies, each with unique logistics and supply chain assets and skills that can be used to support disaster survivors.
We hope that we don’t need to call on any of them for disaster response in 2022. But if the first few days of this year’s weather are any indication, we’ll need friends like these more than ever.
So, welcome to a new year. And as one of the theme songs for one of Betty’s shows once said, “Thank you for being a friend!”
