I have to be honest and admit that this month marks the beginning of my favorite time of the year. Not just for the celebrations and delicious meals, but also for that beautiful energy that invites us to embrace, connect — and give.

I grew up in a household of three siblings, the daughter of immigrants, slowly learning to feel proud of my Mexican roots. And what a beautiful gift that has been. My parents, without ever saying it outright, taught us to give without expecting anything in return. Every time we visited Chihuahua, I watched my dad invite a child to share a meal or buy a toy during the town fairs, remembering his own difficult childhood when Santa Claus would bring him a little bag of peanuts, tangerines and hard candy.

I also grew up watching my mom bring scarves and blankets to elderly people: lifelong friends, men and women she had grown up with. Her life’s mission blossomed into a nonprofit project that turns 6 years old this year: El Club de Abuelitos. Each week they bring life and joy to the grandmothers and grandfathers of our valley, creating a space where they feel loved, heard and embraced with the purest sincerity. 

It’s something special, the energy you receive from spending time with a population that is sometimes so forgotten. Seeing the sparkle in the eyes of dozens of elders in Mexico who gather every year for a few hours of joy is truly transformative.

How beautiful it has been to take these life lessons from my parents and grow up saying “yes” to every opportunity to contribute another drop in the proverbial bucket.

This month marks the fourth consecutive year of The Sopris Sun’s initiative to publish a guide featuring more than 100 local nonprofit organizations. The guide invites us to learn about their work and to open our hearts to give a little of what we have. Last year, thanks to your generosity, more than $1 million was raised for all participating organizations.

The guide is shared weeks before Colorado Gives Day, which has taken place on the first Tuesday of December since 2010. It is the largest online giving event in Colorado, falling this year on Dec. 9. Thanks to Colorado Gives Day, organizations like Sol del Valle and The Sopris Sun can continue providing services to our communities from Parachute to Aspen.

Your generosity allows us to provide a platform in Sol del Valle where we share news in Spanish, art, culture and community. As they say, “every dollar counts.”

We are living through difficult, confusing and complicated times, but today I invite you to take a moment to bring light and hope to the organizations that keep our valley thriving. From our local Spanish-language newspaper to projects that bring art, support physical and mental health, offer legal services and protect our precious nature. I encourage you to take a look at the nonprofit guide included in last week’s Sopris Sun; each organization provides an essential service. I hope you can choose your favorite and contribute your own drop of “water.”

As we close out the year, I wholeheartedly invite you to continue giving smiles and life to others and, at the same time, to our beautiful valley.

Sol del Valle and The Sopris Sun exist thanks to our sponsors, our partners at the CoWest Noticias Collaborative (Aspen Daily News, Aspen Public Radio, Aspen Times, KDNK, Post Independent, Radio Tricolor) and, above all, thanks to people like you who continue to believe in the importance of having an informed community and a Spanish-language print publication. 

Sol del Valle continues to be a bright light in the Valley because of you. Thank you for allowing our roots to grow strong. You are already helping us write the next chapter.

Support us by sharing the newspaper, spreading the word or considering a donation at www.bit.ly/coloradogivessdv