It was a sold-out house of more than 600 at the DoubleTree in Tarrytown on May 7 for the United Way”™s daylong summit for nonprofit thinking and change. There were addresses by New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Westchester County Executive George Latimer. The day also included morning and afternoon breakout sessions covering change in the world of philanthropy and nonprofits.Â
Breakfast keynote speaker Vu Le, an author and executive director of the Seattle-based Rainier Valley Corps, reminded those in attendance that it”™s easy to lose sight of what”™s important in the daily flurry of events.Â
Both Lowey and Latimer lauded the work of nonprofits as community partners with indispensable skill sets and vision.Â
The luncheon keynote speaker Bridget Gavaghan, director of the National Human Services Assembly”™s National Reframing Initiative, said nonprofits need to steer away from unproductive messages that trigger cultural and individual biases.
Alana Sweeny, president and CEO of the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, said, “Navigating change is not easy, nor always comfortable ”“ and we hope that people were able to take away some valuable ideas that will strengthen their organizations.”Â
