November is here!  During the month of November - National Native American Heritage Month, the Sage Project executes its largest fund raising campaign of the year.  

On November 1st, I charged up the golf cart and set out with at least 3 HUGE trash bags of sage mailbox bows and their accompanying mailbox flyers.  This year was especially messy and dusty because our neighborhood was being repaved at the same time.  Needless to say, after I finished the first 3 bags of bows and returned home to load up the remaining 4 bags, I was covered in dust and I honestly felt like I ate my share of the dust that was floating in the air.  The rest of the neighborhood was much less messy, as only the South Carolina side was being repaved, and I finished up the route in North Carolina.  This year was also much faster because we have a new battery on the golf cart, so for the first time, I did not have to take a break to charge the golf cart halfway through the project.

At last all the bows were up and the flyers were out.  I always feel such a sense of relief when that part of the work is done.  The ride back to my house is special as I take in all the sage bows perched atop the mailboxes. Then, I sent an email to the management company for the HOA including the same information that is listed on the flyers-basically that the bows are in honor of Native American Heritage Month.  The email includes  links for the community to access resources allowing them to learn more about the Native American culture of our community.  The email also lists ways the community can contribute to the Sage Project to help our elementary education outreach efforts.

My little non-profit received record donations in the first 5 days of the campaign-really exciting.  When I take the bows down, I hope to see another round of donations, as I distribute the same round of flyers when I take the bows down.  I also send a follow-up email thanking the community for their generosity, allowing us to celebrate together and giving those who would still like to donate another opportunity to do so. 

It has been extremely rewarding watching the Sage Project grow.  My neighbors expect to see their sage bows in November, and that extra little bit of awareness means mission accomplished to me!