Now that the dust has settled from the whirlwind of love you all kicked up on October 2, we wanted to say one more THANK YOU. Our third annual Penland Giving Day was a success through and through, and that is 100% a testament to your generosity and commitment to Penland. We are so grateful.
For this year’s Giving Day, we challenged you all to make a gift and share your Penland story online. Our goal was to generate 325 gifts and a lot of enthusiasm in 24 hours. We sure beat that goal:
- 379 gifts
- Over 185 #WeMakePenland posts on Instagram
- A total of $23,778 raised for Penland programs!
In fact, we reached our campaign goal just before 8:15 that evening. We were all gathered up in Northlight to enjoy staff slide presentations, and the Giving Day page was up on the projector. When the number tipped from 324 to 325, the entire room cheered. Wherever you were that evening, we hope you heard it.
And, because the most special and gratifying and happy-tear-jerking part of Giving Day is always getting to read your own reflections on time at Penland, we thought we’d share a few. Here’s a taste of your funny, heartfelt, wonderful contributions. Check out #WeMakePenland to read many more. Really, they’re the best.
“Penland is about the people, the creative community of like-minded makers, who come together in this magical place and leave transformed by the experience.” – Sharon
“My most joyous times are when a group of people work in unison to do things far greater than an individual could. We do that often at Penland.” – Dave
“I’m pretty sure that if my soul goes anywhere when I die, it will make its final earthly pit stop in the Pines for a midnight cereal.” – Autumn
“It’s tough to put into words what this place means to me, but for simplicity’s sake, I consider Penland to be ‘Home’ to my creative spirit.” – Claire
“The effort, passion, and expertise that one puts into the creation of a work also pushes back on the person, and shapes them. This place recognizes and celebrates that.” – Joe
“If you haven’t heard someone say ‘Penland changed my life,’ you might not have met anyone who went to Penland.” – Suzanne
