L'Arche USA
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Urban anthropologist & author, Elizabeth Chin, honors her mother, a L’Archeni alum, with a gift to L’Arche.
In the shared spirit of generosity seeded by the mother, Elizabeth Chin has chosen to donate the proceeds from her two books to L’Arche.
“I was raised by a single mom who has always been a role model for me in generosity of spirit. I’m an anthropologist, and so most of my work is with people who are quite poor, whether in Haiti or the urban US… It was a natural choice to donate the royalties from my two books to L’Arche since I wanted to honor a place that was so important to my mom.”
Elizabeth goes on to mention that there was something different about L’Arche. Whenever she would visit her mother, who worked at L’Arche Syracuse for nearly a decade, Elizabeth would note the warmth of the community of friends who joined for a shared meal.
“You can feel that L’Arche is a real home when you’re there, not just an institutional place where people are stuck inside… I think this desire to put people away in the US probably comes from fear. We lose a lot if we try to sequester ourselves from people who are sick or disabled. In Haiti, you can’t sequester death; people have a much different orientation toward aging, poverty, illness, and difference. People aren’t just stuck in a corner somewhere; they are part of everyday life… “
As we prepare for Giving Tuesday on November 29th, we hope that you’ll be inspired by Elizabeth and her mother who are choosing to give differently this holiday.
Join the Give Differently campaign on Giving Tuesday or any day before the end of 2022! Donate today and dedicate your gift to someone who has made a positive difference in your life.