Why I Give

Written by Molly MacCready, CROSO’s Executive Director

A photo of Longora John from our 2019 visit.

We are re-starting a series of social media posts where we will be asking our donors and volunteers why they give to CROSO. As I think about this, I can’t help but be reminded of one of our graduates who asked me a similar question on our most recent visit to Uganda. During a gathering with some of our graduates in Mbale, we were all sitting around a table having dinner. Unlike most of our trip, this dinner wasn’t filled with action items that Meg and I had to accomplish. This dinner was just a chance to catch up with some of the graduates. About halfway through dinner, Longora John asked a series of questions that I found so thoughtful and it all began with the question, “Why?”

John was asking why we had started CROSO and why we kept it going. I told the same story I’ve told a million times… I studied abroad in Uganda, interned with C.R.O., met amazing young people, interviewed George, realized there was this need for higher education support, and when I shared those stories in the U.S., I found there was a community of people who rallied around this idea. I think it might have been the first time I have told that story with George at the table with me… and that was sort of fun to give credit to him for inspiring all the work that CROSO has done since!

A photo from the 2019 Scholar Gathering of Molly with Brenda, Moses, Meg, and Lydia.

But then it was time to answer the “why we keep it going” part of the question and I was able to go around the table and talk about each one of our graduates and how they inspire me to keep going with this work. Adam’s creativity and passion to become a graphic designer, John’s commitment to becoming a teacher and helping other young people succeed through education, Awali’s dedication to being an advocate for the voiceless, Carol’s entrepreneurial spirit and constant service as a role model to younger girls, Amos’ desire to make sure social services are available to all, and the list went on. That didn’t even get me started on all the current scholars whose passions are as varied as they are - agriculture, international relations, medicine, social work, business, education, etc.

I could equally have talked about how inspiring it is to work with all the volunteers here in the U.S. who put time and energy into making this organization function. Starting with our amazing board of directors who volunteer to create policies, manage our budget, organize fundraisers, and above all else think critically about how to best support our scholars. I would be crazy not to talk about our liaisons who write monthly with our scholars…. sometimes building relationships over years and years with them.

I could have shared about the inspiration I gain from the donors who selflessly give of their hard-earned funds to sponsor a young person halfway around the world to access post-secondary education. Or I could have shared about the times an individual donation has really touched my heart-- when my nephew came to volunteer in the CROSO office one day and made a $1 donation, or when a donor made a three year commitment to giving $10,000 per year. I could have shared about the high school students who chose CROSO as the recipient of their Dance Marathon funds and what a significant impact that group made to both our organization and to all of our scholars in Uganda.

So for me, there are LOTS of reasons why I continue to give CROSO my time, energy, and donations. Most importantly, I believe in the young people we support in Uganda. But I have also loved getting to be part of this CROSO community here in the U.S. For the next several months, we’ll be sharing stories on Wednesdays on social media of why people give to CROSO, whether financially, or of their time, or both. We hope these posts remind you of what an amazing community that surrounds this mission and helps inspire you to keep on giving!

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