Sometimes belonging begins with a single visit.
Nearly two years ago, Esther joined us for the house blessing of our first L’Arche home. She came to celebrate a milestone, but something about the community stayed with her. What began as a visit slowly became a relationship.
Over the months that followed, Esther continued to find her way back to L’Arche. Her sons volunteered to help with yardwork, caring for the home where adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities share daily life with assistants. In June, her family joined us for the Run, Walk, & Roll, celebrating a community where everyone has a place. With each visit, the connection grew a little deeper.
Then Esther learned about a different kind of need.
It takes approximately $33,000 each month to provide the staffing, care, transportation, programs, and support that make L’Arche home. Medicaid funding and resident fees cover much of that cost, but they do not fully fund the relationships that define our community. That leaves an approximately $8,000 funding gap each month.
When Esther heard about that need, she responded.
She became L’Arche North Carolina’s very first Belonging Ambassador by funding an entire month of that operating gap. Her gift helps ensure that this home continues to be a place where people are known by name, where friendships are nurtured, where meals are shared, where laughter fills the kitchen, and where every person is recognized for the gifts they bring.
Belonging is not built through extraordinary moments alone. It is cultivated through people who keep saying yes.
Yes to showing up.
Yes to serving.
Yes to making room for someone else.
Yes to helping a community flourish.
Esther’s generosity reminds us that every lasting community is sustained by people who believe that life is richer when we belong to one another.
Her story began with attending a house blessing.
Today, because she said yes, an entire month of belonging is possible.
We are deeply grateful that Esther became our very first Belonging Ambassador, and we hope her story inspires others to discover the joy of making belonging possible for someone else.
Could You Become a Belonging Ambassador?
Like Esther, your journey does not have to begin with a major gift. It begins with saying yes to a community where every person is welcomed, needed, and belongs.
If you would like to become a Belonging Ambassador or learn more about sponsoring a month of belonging, we would love to start that conversation. Email info@larchenc.org to learn more. Together, we can ensure that this community continues to flourish, one month and one relationship at a time.
