Updates

“This is the only life you are certain of, and it’s important to live this life to the fullest. How do you go about that? Begin where you are. Use what you have at hand. Have faith in the goodness of people, and the valuable lessons hidden in everything that happens. Give the world the best you have in you!” - Mary Abele

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It is with profound sadness that we share the loss of Argosy Trustee and Abele family matriarch, Mary Seton Abele. Her legacy is that of abundant compassion, authentic generosity, civic responsiveness, and spiritual guidance. She was a gentle yet fierce protector of what she held dear. She cherished family, community, nature and spirit. She championed stewardship of the environment as well as education for Native Americans. She fed the hungry and housed the homeless.  She supported recreation activities and youth development, and advocated for maternal health and teen pregnancy prevention. Mary stepped forward in response to threats against our forests and our democracy, our waters and our reproductive rights. Her interfaith approach to a spiritual connection with the Divine was evident in her inspirational work as founding pastor of All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne, Vermont. The world is a better place because of the Reverend Mary Abele, and she left us with a charge to carry on the work. It is an honor to do so.

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Thank you to everyone who came out on April 12 to the first ever Comedy for Peace event held in Vermont. It was a true pleasure to sponsor and experience a night of interfaith comedy that encourages us to laugh at ourselves just as much as the divides we've created as a society. A special thanks to Usama Siddiquee, Ashley Austin Morris, Tehran Von Ghasri, and Erik Angel for keeping the room roaring- get a sneak peek of their sets in the video below! Don't live in Vermont? Check out Comedy For Peace for more shows throughout the country!

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Are you in the Burlington, Vermont area and looking for a perfect night of comedy, community, and connection? Have we got the event for you!

Argosy is very excited to be hosting Comedy for Peace, an event on April 12 featuring four comedians sharing humor via an interfaith lens. Using wit and the art of comedy to try to make a difference, Comedy for Peace shows aim to be “a relief from the concerns of the day, with an important message that we, the people, just want to live together peacefully.” With a slogan of "No Politics. Just Laughs." shows feature Muslim, Jewish, and Christian stand-up comedians taking on topical issues, laughing at themselves and each other along the way. The evening performance is followed by a Q & A with the comedians. Check out the event poster here and see full details below.‍

‍When:  Wednesday, April 12 @ 7pm

Where: All Souls Interfaith Gathering at Meach Cove Farms in Shelburne, VT (291 Bostwick Farm Road, Shelburne, VT)

Tickets: On sale now at Eventbrite for $10. All ticket proceeds will be donated to Vermont-area nonprofits.

As Roe v. Wade is overturned, millions of women and families will not only face a future of economic uncertainty, limited opportunities, and increased health risks, but most importantly the loss of their basic right to make private health and life decisions.

The recent SCOTUS decision has further strengthened our resolve to continue funding intersectional abortion access work, comprehensive sexual health education, access to a full-range of contraceptives, and training for providers to increase capacity of the reproductive health infrastructure. We are also reviewing our internal benefit policies to ensure that our staff are equipped with the tools they need to pursue comprehensive healthcare in the setting and state of their choosing.

In addition, we will continue using our platform to lift the incredible work of our tireless partners in this area, including Planned Parenthood, the National Network of Abortion Funds, If/When/How, Plan C, CHOICES, and several state-based abortion funds whose work will prove essential in connecting patients to the medical care they deserve. We invite the funding community to join us in supporting this work.

Hope and gratitude for all the hardworking individuals who remain committed to changing this increasingly challenging landscape is essential right now. While anger, frustration and fear are certainly justified and understandable in this moment, we will continue to focus on highlighting the successes and compassion of our partners and everyone who remains committed to the agency of women and birthing people.

Access Reproductive Justice

Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center

CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health

If/When/How – Lawyering for Reproductive Justice

Kentucky Health Justice Network

Plan C

National Network of Abortion Funds

Reproductive Justice Action Collective

Planned Parenthood

We consider ourselves truly lucky to work with a number of innovative organizations providing impactful skills building to incredible young people we know are destined to make a difference in their careers and communities. We're even luckier that sometimes those organizations can come together to blend their own individual strengths into unique partnerships that offer even more opportunities for growth and learning.

Our friends at Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity just released a fantastic dive into their program placing alumni of FIRST's influential robotics programs into a hands-on Milwaukee Habitat internship. It's a win-win-win: Milwaukee Habitat receives students who already have a leadership mindset and love of learning instilled by their time in FIRST; the students get a chance to grow the skills they've learned through robotics into meaningful on-the-job training and development that can be translated into many future career paths; and the community benefits from the affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization that Milwaukee Habitat's unique model makes possible.

If you've already read our own former intern Patricia McKnight's earlier partner story on this partnership, we highly recommend checking out this new update to learn more about the program, find out what Zorris and Esai are up to today, and to meet the new cohort of interns!

What’s better than a win-win solution? A win-win-win solution! And that’s just the type of innovative solution our partners at the Center For Pollinators in Energy at Fresh Energy are helping promote. Their work helps address a myriad of concerns- the immediate need for rapid expansion of renewable energy sources; the rapidly disappearing populations of pollinator species so many of our crops and plants rely on, and the increasingly difficult economic realities facing so many small farms around the country. The solution? Pollinator-friendly solar. Instead of the gravel or monoculture grass so often placed underneath large land-based solar arrays, Fresh Energy works to ensure these sites are seeded with high-quality native flowers and grasses that pollinators so deeply reply on. With this simple, yet often ignored factor, those “wins” really start multiplying- pollinators get the habitat they need to thrive and farmers and other land-owners reap not just the economic benefits leasing land for solar can bring, but a myriad suite of environmental benefits in the process- pollinators that provide critical services for their crops, as well as native plants that can capture and filter storm water, prevent erosion, and build up soil health. Even better? We all benefit from increased investment in renewable energy that doesn’t come at the expense of hurting agricultural productivity.

The Center For Pollinators in Energy have become not just the go-to experts and resource for solar projects considering pollinator-friendly plantings, but they’ve also become national cheerleaders for spreading awareness on this important work. With partnership campaigns from makeup companies to food brands to breweries (yes, solar beer!) and now, national recognition from the Cleanie Awards (the gold standard awards for the clean energy industry) and even the Emmys (take that, HBO!), it’s clear the future for pollinator-friendly solar is just as sweet as the honey it helps produce. Congrats on the well-deserved recognition, all!