Happy Birthday to us! 

It was three years ago today Sherbro Foundation  got our certificate declaring we are a State of Ohio nonprofit corporation.

With a huge  backlog, it was then another eighteen months before the IRS notified us our 501(c)(3) tax exempt status was approved. It sometimes felt we’d never get through the process of organizing as a nonprofit.

But that was nothing compared to going through the Ebola crisis.

Now those things are all behind us. They say working through a big challenge only makes you stronger. It’s true. Stronger and smarter.

I won’t repeat here what we’ve accomplished in our first three years. I’ve recently written on this, given a 2015 year-end update and shared the latest news on the community computer center.

I just wanted to savor the moment. And take a moment to thank our Sierra Leone community partner, the Center for Community Empowerment and Transformation. It’s their hard work that makes things happen. They’re the heroes of this three year story.

And give thanks to our donors and supporters. You were there early when we – when Sierra Leone – needed you. I hope you feel satisfaction in the role you’ve played in fighting Ebola, in sending girls to school, in giving villages a new future by growing trees. You’re changing people’s lives, and we could not have done it without all of you.

Well, time to get back to pedaling again. Running a young nonprofit is still hard work. But it doesn’t feel quite so monumental any more.

Arlene Golembiewski
Founder & Executive Director