This is a personal request from me to you. I've mentioned MenHealing and their workshops known as Weekends of Recovery many times. This organization, and their healing retreats, have been critical to my recovery and ongoing wellness and mental health. I have attended four retreats and I have been volunteering with them for more than 10 years. I continue to work with them today, and I am also a monthly donor.

I've been working with non-profit organizations for most of my life, and I donate to many. I am admittedly biased, but I have never come across a more dedicated and effective team of people than the mental health professionals, many of whom are survivors themselves, that comprise this organization. Most of these people are also volunteers who have been doing this work for many years. I am only one of many W.O.R. Alumni who also donate significant time and money to keep these programs available for other men.

Through all my messages and writings, I don't think I have ever asked for anything more than your attention. Today, I'm asking for more.

In the non-profit world, there is a number even more valuable for viability and success than any amount of financial donations, and that number is of people. It's a kind of reverse catch-22. The greater the number of people who support us the more successful we can be, not only in attracting even more support, but primarily by reaching more men survivors.

The simplest way you can support MenHealing is by signing up for our newsletter. We send an average of 2 emails per month, and our emails are not just requests for money. Since the pandemic, we have been doing a whole lot more than healing retreats. We have multiple video projects, a podcast, and we often join forces with other organizations for one-off events. Most of these projects are produced with an entertaining approach. It's important for the world to know that it is possible for men survivors of sexual harm to live full rich lives, complete with love, laughter and joy.

To that end, I invite you to see exactly what I mean by joining us for an online event on September 29, The Ripple Effect, that includes storytelling, poetry, music, performance art, and more. There will be some suprises and some giveaways. I promise you it will be fun. It's 90 minutes, but it will mean a lot to us even if you only drop in for a few minutes. You can register now, even if you're not sure if you can make it.

If you aren't able to join us for this, you can still donate to it here.

Apart from the fundraiser, there's one more thing I'm asking. What helps us more than the number of individual donations we receive, is the number of people who support us on an on-going basis through monthly donations. What I mean is, even if you only signed up to donate $5, $3, or $1 per month, the very fact that we have you as a continuing donor helps us greatly. Seriously, even a buck a month allows us to count you in our Monthly Giving Circle, which is our most important fundraising metric.

I completely understand if you aren't able to donate once or monthly, but I'll take it very personally, if you do. ;-)

Eric