On legacies, giving and celebration in a time of crisis

Today was the deadline for me to give our communications guru, Carly, the content for our bi-monthly newsletter. It is now 18 minutes until the end of the business day and I admit, I am still stuck.

I have thought long and deeply on how to appropriately and thoughtfully choose the right words for our May newsletter. The newsletter in which we had planned to do another big promotion of our free simple Will and Testament offer. But in the midst of this paradigm-shifting global pandemic, I just don’t know how to get the words and feeling right. Talking about Wills means talking about death, which ties into our COVID fears, which is taboo. Right? Wrong? I don’t know anymore.

In our March newsletter, we proudly announced our partnership with the great people at Canadian Free Wills Network, providing an extra perk for our alumni, donors and closest champions of Douglas College. This initiative was launched this year to gift 50 free simple Will and Testaments for those over 55 years old in our 50th Anniversary year. After the initial announcement, we were pleasantly surprised by how many of you that reached out, wanting to learn more or to opt in.

And here we are just two months later. We still have the same free Will offer available to those nearest and dearest to us. We still want to be able to gift that sense of peace and reassurance that comes from completing a Will. But, frankly, I find myself stuck; I just don’t know what is correct to say after how much our world has changed in the last 8 weeks. I don’t know the right words to say or not say. And for those who know me, they know that a shortage of words is not something I usually struggle with.

Like many of you, I find myself with a longer list of questions than I have answers on a daily basis. Do I shout from the roof tops that we still want to gift our champions the chance to put a simple Will in place? Should I avoid mentioning anything about the offer in fear that I conjure up inappropriate images of death and fear that we are inundated with daily? Do we stick with our plan to celebrate May as the traditional Leave a Legacy Month? What are the words I should avoid? Will I offend someone? Who needs to proof this letter to ensure I am not off brand? What day is it? What are my colleagues in other organizations doing? Are we still allowed to talk about Wills and end-of-life legacies? When did I wash my hands last? How do I say it correctly? Is now the right time?

I just don’t know.

I don’t know and I am learning that it is okay. This is something I have found myself pondering and repeating to myself over the last couple of months when confronted with yet another question or fork in the road that there is no map for. “I don’t know, but we will figure it out,” is something my family and colleagues hear from me often.

I am working from home with my partner and four small children, thinking about how I can protect them, us and those we cherish most in the world. And I know that many of you are making the best decisions you can daily in this uncertain world; that you have the same concerns for the health and wellbeing of your loved ones. In this new world there is so much we don’t know, but we ARE figuring it out – together. So I will wear my uncertainty on my sleeve, right beside my good intentions, and forge forward.

What I DO know, is that in addition to our family, friends and colleagues, we are all more concerned than ever for the well being of those we have been called to serve at Douglas College – our students. They are our children, single parents, former youth in care, recent immigrants and young adults striking out on their own for the first time. They are why we are here. I do know that our community of alumni, donors, students and staff feel deeply and are intrinsically interwoven into our campuses – both physically, virtually and metaphorically. And for this I am both proud and grateful.

So here I am at the end of the business day, and it appears I have approached my newsletter submission the same way I do working with donors – just being authentically me, a little bit awkward but full of good intent on behalf our students and community of champions. No Douglas branding, no buzzwords, no shiny content. In the uncertainty we face now in all of its forms, please know that the Douglas College Foundation and Alumni Relations team are working harder than ever to ensure we love on you and our students!

For those who have suddenly been forced to contemplate their lives and navigate unfamiliar territory of this new COVID landscape, we are still here with a small gift. If having a simple Will in place brings you a sense of peace, we hope you will take advantage of this chance to write a simple Will and Testament and document the legacy you want to leave in the world; from us to you in celebration of Douglas’ first 50 years. Just shoot me an email and we can chat further. For those that are too raw right now to consider end of life planning, I deeply respect that, but I ask for the grace to talk about it and that you still continue to love us as you already do.

Ugh, 4 minutes left until my deadline and I think this really is my submission.

At Douglas we are lucky to do the work we do – creating pathways for students to do what they love and be good it. Thank you for the role you play in that for the last 50 years and the next 50 in front of us.

Stay well and hopeful.

Shannon

Shannon McInnes

Manager, Philanthropic Relations

mcinness@douglascollege.ca

604 218 2657