Here’s what happened in western Massachusetts (USA) on May 1. Starting at 12:01 am and ending at midnight, 10,482 individual donors gave $US 1,697,053 to support 408 non-profits up and down the Pioneer Valley.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Pioneer Valley is a very generous place!
This special day is called “Valley Gives.” It is organized by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and sponsored by many local businesses. For 24 hours, committed individuals donated online—yes, some started giving at the 12:01 am mark and others were still giving at midnight.
The Pioneer Valley is clearly committed to both giving back and paying forward.
The International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI), an IALC member, is located right in the center of the Pioneer Valley. And ILI is fortunate to be one of the recipients of the Valley’s generosity. We set a reasonable goal and found that our supporters and new converts pushed us to nearly double that goal! $3865 was raised to go directly to our Free English Program for Immigrants and Refugees.
When we opened our doors more than three decades ago, we knew this was the place to foster intercultural understanding and stronger communities through excellent language instruction and teacher training. And we were right!
All are welcome here!
Extra news:
ILI also joined the 37th annual Northampton Pride Day march with an estimated 40,000 celebrating LGBTQ+ rights this month. The IALC team is proud to see that ILI takes such an active role in promoting cross-cultural understanding.