...and Brit!  2013 will begin with my first visit to Great Britain, specifically London and Norwich.

Inspired by my friend who has a new blog, I've come up with my own 3-word rhyming motto for the new year. Fit means I'm going to get back into my exercise routine, Lit means I'm going to read more (like a retired librarian should!), and Knit means I'm going to get serious about knitting and re-embrace some other crafts that I love.

The posts on this blog up to August 2008 were made when I was Grants Specialist for Dayton Metro Library in Dayton, Ohio. Since then, I've retired from a 35+ year career in librarianship, traveled quite a bit, helped my husband launch his vocation as an Anglican priest, seen our son graduate from college and become engaged, and (scariest of all) experienced a heart attack. Thus the question: Now What?

Starting a Nonprofit was recently included in a series of More magazine vignettes on the cost of various life pursuits. Expert advice, from Nell Merlino, president of Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence, includes my new favorite quote on starting a nonprofit: "You're dealing with stuff that businesses can't figure out how to make money on and the government hasn't done a good job with."

Dayton Metro Library's Grants Information Center presents a Special Training Opportunity from the Foundation Center, Thursday, April 24, 2008, 3:00-4:30pm:

Your Board and Fundraising

This session will be presented free-of-charge by David Holmes, Regional Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Cleveland, in the Auditorium on the 2nd floor of the Main Library. To register, call 937-463-BOOK(2665), ext. 6501.

Revenues in the nonprofit sector increased more than 60% in the decade 1994-2004, according to The Nonprofit Sector in Brief: Facts and Figures from The Nonprofit Almanac, 2007. Outpacing growth of the nation's gross domestic product, which grew by 36.6% over the same period, the nonprofit sector reported revenues of $1.36 trillion, expenses of $1.26 trillion, and assets of $2.97 trillion. The report was issued by the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics in Washington, D.C.

A Special Foundation Center 50th Anniversary Event will be held next month in the Dayton area.

Building for Philanthropy’s Future: Honoring the Past, Responding to the Present, Anticipating the Future

2006 is the 50th anniversary of the Foundation Center and we invite you to join us in celebrating the contributions the Center has made to organized philanthropy and grantseeking nonprofits during its last half-century of service to the field. Honoring past achievement sets the stage for a timely and provocative discussion about philanthropy’s future. You are invited to join in the discussion and to explore with distinguished presenters themes that are critical to the success of the sector, specifically, how to:

Innovate new solutions to old problems with increasingly scarce resources
Blend business, nonprofit, and public perspectives to create real value for real people
Bridge gaps in organizational structures through creative alliances
Demonstrate the value of organized philanthropy in a changing world

Confirmed presenters include:

Janet S. Greenlee, Associate Professor, University of Dayton

Michael Parks, President, The Dayton Foundation

Judith M. Thompson, Executive Director, The Kettering Fund

When: Wednesday, October 18, 2006, 12:30 - 2:30pm

Where: Centerville Library, 111 Spring Valley Road, Centerville, OH 45458

A light lunch will be served. The program is free, but registration is required. You may register online, in person at the Foundation Center-Cleveland reference desk, or by calling (216) 861-1934, x25.