Letter from the Chairman

NCF Orlando Community –
 
Over the last 10 years in my leadership role on the board of NCF Orlando, I have had the privilege of meeting many of you. For those I have not met, my wife Jennifer and I recently celebrated forty years of marriage, with whom, I have three grown children and have steadily built a career in the Central Florida real estate space since the early 1980s.

I have never addressed our NCF community in this way before but my heart has been stirring, especially during these unprecedented times, to share my thoughts and perspectives with you. There is no doubt an incredible confluence of events that has created a once-in-a-lifetime crisis which includes a global pandemic, significant economic disruption including high unemployment, racial injustice and political disunity. It feels overwhelming but I believe our NCF community can play a central role in banding together for “such a time as this.”

As local chairman and co-laborer with many other leaders of our NCF Orlando affiliate, I am pleased with the pivots our team has made during the crisis, grateful for the generosity our community has shown thus far, but recognize there is much more to do.

1. Since mid-March, our local team consisting of David, Joel, Jordan and Tim has pivoted their work to innovatively bridge the information gap of community needs between givers and non-profits. Our local team has hosting numerous zoom calls, which have included hundreds of our givers, to resource our community as we strategically think about our giving during this season. If you have time, check out our resources pages on COVID-19 and Racial Equity.

2. Our local community continues to be very generous as our local NCF givers have already granted out $17M this year (which is up 30% from last year’s record-breaking year of giving). We have seen incredible creativity and sacrifice from our community as they engage the unique challenges of our time.

3. Despite our pivots and generosity to date, there is more to be done! I believe, there is significantly more need out there than any of us understand. Lots of families are teetering on the brink of homelessness and are struggling daily to put food on the table. This is not OK. This is the time to be press into more selfless generosity, creativity and redemptive collaboration.

For many of us, the last decade has been one of plenty and we have stored up giving resources through our NCF Giving Funds. In closing and in the words of Todd Harper, we believe “it’s possible that there may have never been a more relevant moment for us, as God’s children, to live and share the biblical message of generosity.” There clearly is an opportunity for unprecedented impact. This could be our “finest hour” harkening back to the incredible example lived out by 1st century Christians during Roman times.

If you want to be more involved in the needs of our community, reach out to our team so they can resource you. 

With warmest regards,
Scott