The CVRAN 10th Anniversary Booklet
At the CVRAN annual meeting on April 14th, there was a buzz around the table where copies of the newly published booklet Taking Root: Ten Years of Welcome were being admired. “How beautiful, the cover is so smooth, look at the photos, what is inside?…..” 35 precious copies of the newly arrived booklet sat on the table, with a chance to download a PDF later for those who wanted a digital version. The booklet, a real 10thbirthday present to all those of us involved in CVRAN, is good to look at now and will mark our history for others into the future. Jessica Noyes writes, “After the first page, I was reading not for facts, but for delight. The turns of phrase, the accessibility of the language, the cover-to-cover grace, had me hooked. And the attractive layout (with the ever-developing rooted plant) made it even more compelling. All those photos!…Maybe best of all were the inspiring biographies of the people who steered, and have been steering, CVRAN from Day One on. Hurray for all the collaborators!”
An anniversary provides the opportunity to look back. How did we begin? How did we grow? One effect is educational. Assistant treasurer Drex Godfrey wrote, “The booklet is great! It is so extensive, and really revealed to me many aspects of our program that I was not aware of.”
Another effect is thought provoking. How has this non-profit developed? What elements made it work? What has been the impact of its very collaborative structure? What have the newcomers brought to us, and we to them? Perhaps historians or studiers of non-profits will take a peek. Former president Diane Fitch says, “It is so important to have chronicled CVRAN’s first decade.” We learned at the annual meeting that the CVRAN budget is now at almost a half million dollars, and the numbers of people served in one year close to 100… all that starting from very humble beginnings in a church basement. How did that happen? How did we all do it?
Numerous individuals worked on compiling this booklet: organizing a timeline of the main events from 2015-2025, naming the contributions of key CVRAN figures, and soliciting photos and quotations to illustrate the timeline. A favorite aspect of this booklet is that it includes so many different voices, just like CVRAN itself.
Producing the booklet now is timely as we begin a new era in our organization with an executive director and the original leadership of the organization gradually stepping back. It is tapping the collective memories and experience of many of its founders and innovators. It is a chance to be inspired and carry the work forward into the future.
Many thanks go to the editorial team of Rachel Walker Cogbill, Amy Ehrlich, Diane Fitch, Pam Walker, and Kathie O’Connor. The beautiful color schemes, spacing, and the plant images with proliferating roots perfectly matching our title “Taking Root” are all from Deena Frankel who gave of her professional expertise with many design hours. Kathie O’Connor writes, “The finished product is beautiful – even down to the cover colors of the logo. The layout is gorgeous and makes for inviting and easy reading.”
And many thanks to all of you in the “It Takes a Village” section which is an attempt at thanking everyone both named and unnamed who has helped CVRAN become what we hoped, a pathway to welcome. Read the booklet and celebrate, while also pondering how we will meet the next set of challenges.
To donate toward the cost of printing this or future editions of the booklet, please click here or send a check to CVRAN, PO Box 910, Montpelier, VT 05601.
Please contact the CVRAN Office at cvran910@gmail.com for a printed copy of the booklet and we will organize pick up/drop off.
Please click below to view or download the PDF of the booklet.
Thank you all, and here’s to the next decade!