As we put our penultimate issue of 2020 to bed, our team is counting blessings amidst the turmoil created by the pandemic, politics and smokey skies. We count you as an important blessing too.
One of the challenges of a print magazine is the gap from the time the files (magazine pages) are sent to the printer to the actual date the magazine arrives in your mailbox. Pre-pandemic, this was rarely a problem. But — as you also well know — Covid-19 and threats to our mail system made that more difficult this year.
This issue was sent to the printer with an historical presidential election underway. Our community will be either celebrating or devastated by the results. We don’t have a crystal ball, but we do know that everyone will be yearning to come together for healing and to work towards a more positive future.
As we considered the cover for such an historic election, of course the Newsoms came to mind. It’s pretty amazing that the California Governor and First Partner are both from Marin. Regardless of where you stand on his administration’s politics, we hope that you enjoy learning a bit more about the couple. Gavin was raised here in Marin and matured into a young idealistic adult as a student at Redwood High School. After living in San Francisco and earning election as one of its youngest mayors in history, he came back to marry another Marinite and raise their family of four. They lived a somewhat normal life in Kentfield, until duty called and they relocated to Sacramento. Some predict this is just a stop on their way to the White House. Wouldn’t that be exciting?
This month also marks the beginning of the holiday season — another item for our perplexing time’s history books. Who won’t crave greater comfort as we navigate quarantine limitations? So instead of offering the usually healthy ways to “do” Thanksgiving and beyond, we’d like to promote a bit of celebration, muted and masked as it may be.
Importantly, because of the financial dynamics of these crazy times, it’s also more crucial than ever that you chart a path for your family’s financial future and for the wisest end of year philanthropy.
Cheers to the beginning of the end of 2020. Let’s all raise a glass in gratitude and to come together for a better future following the election and to the start of the holiday season.
Thank you,
Susan, Mimi and the Marin and Make It Better Media Group Team.
Fun fact: The day that Gavin announced his gubernatorial candidacy, Jennifer was in the Chicago North Shore home of our publisher and Make It Better Media Group Founder, Susan B. Noyes, raising support for her outstanding documentaries. During a quiet moment together, at the kitchen counter, Susan was stunned and impressed when Jennifer casually mentioned, “My husband is announcing his campaign for Governor today. We need to quickly coordinate child care responsibilities for the day too.”
Jennifer’s work has made significant impact as well. Watch her interview in Susan’s home here.
How to Help
There are so many local businesses that need your help right now. For more ways to support local businesses, go here.
For more on Marin:
- Gavin Newsom’s Bay Area Trailblazers: Leaders in the Governor’s Staff
- Marin Chefs Share Their Favorite Comfort Food Restaurants & Recipes
- 8 Bay Area Bookstores to Support on National Indie Bookstore Day
Susan B. Noyes is the Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of Make It Better Media Group, as well as the Founder of Make It Better Foundation’s Philanthropy Awards. A mother of six, former Sidley Austin labor lawyer and U.S. Congressional Aide, passionate philanthropist, and intuitive connector, she has served on boards for the Poetry Foundation, Harvard University Graduate School of Education Visiting Committee, American Red Cross, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Annenberg Challenge, Chicago Public Education Fund, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New Trier High School District 203, and her beloved Kenilworth Union Church. But most of all, she enjoys writing and serving others by creating virtuous circles that amplify social impact.
