December 2009 - President’s Letter - “Tis the Season…to Gay it forward”

Dear Members of the GBBC and GLBT Community:

As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season where everyone is feeling merry and “gay,” I have to reflect on what the spirit of the holiday season is all about.  I have always claimed to be the guy that loves to give and hates to receive gifts but let’s be honest - who wouldn’t love to receive a gift, especially from someone that cares about you?  To be serious for a moment, in the past, when you received a gift from someone that cares about you I’m sure your heart grew and grew to four times the size of a normal Who (as they say in Whoville).

The point is weather celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday this time of year … the spirit for which we all celebrate is the same.  And in that feeling of the holidays lies a feeling of giving.  Of course, it is easy to give to those that we care about and rightfully so but what about those that we don’t know, those that are less fortunate?  Namely, the people who face tougher financial situations then we might.  Today’s economic challenges have made the world to be a place where many of us do not even have the means to make ends meet, put food on the table, or have a warm place to sleep.  In a country that thrives on so much wealth, it is hard to believe that on my way home each night there are families living under an overpass to a highway because they have lost their job and their home.  I am sure if each of us looked around, listen to a friend, family or colleague or just walked down the street, we would find someone that knows someone that has been affected by today’s economy.

In the spirit of these holidays, I implore you to be the one that makes a difference, as small as it may be.  With so much happening in each of our lives to keep us busy this time of year, it is impossible, as individuals, to solve world hunger or bring about world peace.  But, collectively, we can have a great impact by just simply helping one person that is in need.  In other words, “pay it forward” or as Jack McFarland would say from the show “Will and Grace,” “gay it forward.”  What better way to show the meaning of the season than to lend a hand to someone that is less fortunate than you…how much simpler can it be?

I invite the Boston GLBT community to lead by example and give the spirit of the holiday by helping others in need.  Remember, you never know when the shoe might be on the other foot and you might need support from our community to help you.

On behalf of the Greater Boston Business Council’s Executive Board and Board of Directors, Happy Holidays! 

Warmest regards,
Ed Travers
President