This Month’s Featured Articles…

Exploring the healthcare crisis in 2021 can be compared to taking a treacherous voyage toward the center of the Earth. There are layers upon layers of complex challenges that, despite their sturdy exterior, must be dug through and the closer one gets to the core, the hotter it gets until a molten level of anxiety is reached. Born out of a global pandemic, hospitals and healthcare institutions across the country (and the globe) are in many ways still reeling in the face of ongoing volatility. [...]

By its very nature, volunteerism requires a sense of commitment often hard to come by. With families, careers, and the financial stress of “keeping up,” it can be hard to find time to volunteer. As the holidays approach, non-profit organizations look forward to the time of year when volunteerism typically sees a dramatic increase. However, studies show there has been a sharp decline in volunteer efforts since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study by Fidelity Charitable, an independent public charity and the nation’s largest [...]

It is the season of giving. When we think collectively about this time of year, it can be hard not to conjure up visions of the holidays that have been baked into our modern DNA through tradition and commercialization. That is not to say those two elements are necessarily nefarious, visions of Rockwell family dinners, and the familiar hum of classic holiday songs are senses we have all come to know and love. At the heart of our annual sentimental adoration of the holiday season [...]

We are, at the core, a nostalgic lot. Through pandemics, wars and recessions, we have remained a culture that revels in traditions and ceremonies. We find some sort of resolution in repeating the symbolic dances of the end of the year. Pumpkins carved at Halloween perched on the porch as trick or treaters appear in ill-fitting polyester costumes to beg for tons of candy. Turkeys roasted in abundance on Thanksgiving (accompanied by pies made from the pumpkins that survived Halloween) as we gather together. Poet [...]

It is once again the time of year when, in addition to the general merriment that comes with the holiday season, people across the nation collectively take stock of what they have and what they feel grateful to have attained. While we amass friends and family and take in the barrage of music and classic movies, perhaps this year especially, we reflect on many of those folks who still struggle with maintaining essential needs for their families. Despite the not-so-subtle cynicism many possess for the [...]