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Today is 9/11. It has been 19 years since a group of individuals attacked our country and tried to break our spirit. Lives were lost, and many of those lives were fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, and most importantly neighbors and friends.
I can safely say that today, their efforts were in vain. Some may say that our nation is divided, but we all still share the same values. We are in the midst of another crisis, some may argue of much bigger proportions, but out of a crisis we emerge stronger. With all due respect to our President, I disagree with him that we needed to “Make America Great Again”. America was always great, and always will be great, as long as we don’t let anything break our spirit and never forget where we came from.
I think what makes America great is the people. We are the true melting pot of the world and we always have been. We are either descendants of other cultures or we came here directly from one. I firmly believe that the one thing all these cultures have in common is a sense of community, and those cultures have melted together to make America one of the most strong, resilient, and giving community in the world.
Did you know that America is the most giving country in the world? In 2017, Americans donated $410 Billion dollars, or roughly 2.1% of American GDP, to charity. Some of Americas most wealthy, including the likes of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, have even signed a “Giving Pledge”, which promises to donate a majority of their wealth to charity. It is in our nature and at the root of our culture to help our neighbors.
When Mike and I started Twin Lights, we centered this brewery around community and giving back. If you haven’t noticed, every one of our cans has the slogan “Care, Share, Everywhere”. Tomorrow we get to finally but that slogan into action, as we host our first ever public beach clean called “Sweep The Shore”, in partnership with The Local Fix Foundation.
We have partnered with The Local Fix Foundation to help fulfill our mission of giving back to the community. The Local Fix was founded by myself and six others with the mission of helping those in NJ in need. While we all may have different causes that are closer to our heart than others, the important thing is that we continue to give back.
Tomorrow we will be giving back by cleaning almost the entirety of Sea Bright Beach. The response we have received from our community is nothing short of astonishing. We had over 120 people register to volunteer in less than 2 weeks. We had a number of local businesses help sponsor the clean, and we can’t thank them enough for their generous donations. We have also had many individuals make monetary donations, and no matter the dollar amount, the impact is tremendous to our small organization.
Whether you were able to help with this cause or not, there will be others where we will need your help. There will always be people, organizations, or causes to support, and at the end of the day it is the sense of community, our helping nature, and our giving spirit which will continue to define our country. Never forget it, and never cease to practice it.
– Will Grundmann, Co-Founder of Twin Lights Brewing
For more information on the Local Fix Foundation and how you can help us give back to the community, please visit http://www.thelocalfixfoundation.com and follow us on instagram @njlocalfix.