The Fiddlehead Foundation will have a unique mission. Simply put: We will connect people with gifts, to a world of need.

The Fiddlehead Foundation will facilitate relationships between fortunate individuals and non-profit organizations that are doing exceptional, courageous and praiseworthy work.  The foundation will be a resource to people who feel a strong desire to “give something back” to a world where they found good health, education and opportunity for themselves.  We will offer a way for people to share their knowledge from a life of skilled work, or lend a hand as mentor, teacher, "doer". Their “giving back” may take the form of simple financial support. It may be in the form of assisting the charity’s efforts by remote means, or it may mean that the individual journeys to far off lands to help in a hands-on way.

In any case, The Fiddlehead Foundation will establish and maintain intimate partnerships with a small number of diverse, carefully selected charitable organizations (both national and international) that offer fortunate people a way to help others.  The Fiddlehead Foundation will only work with organizations that can offer our “givers” a deep connection through a personalized approach, and only organizations that can prove financial efficiency and a very high degree of project effectiveness.

When an interested “giver” contacts The Fiddlehead Foundation, we will become the link that allows them to find the best charitable organization for their skills and interests, and then coach them through getting started in a future of service to others, at whatever level of commitment they aspire to.

Here is the background on this vision…

For many years now, Dr. Chuck and I (Dr. Lynda) have been interested in the growing abundance of organizations that do good works in the service of others who are less fortunate. You only have to google "volunteer opportunities" to see the thousands of non-profits and foundations that work to improve the quality of life for people all over the world.

We have also become aware of a growing interest in "giving back" among fortunate, skilled retirement-age people. We see a generation of up-coming retirees who may not be satisfied with the same kind of retirement that their parents aspired to. Dr. Chuck and I see a coming generation who may want to remain active in the service of others - giving back to a world where they found opportunity, education and good health. More and more, we see a tipping point emerging: people who realize that their search for fulfillment may lie in the realization that their life’s journey must include a period of giving.

We too felt like there would be a time in the future when we would want to share our gifts and skills in a philanthropic way. But where to start?... How do you find a good match for your specific skills and interests? How do you know if a specific non-profit or service organization is legitimate? How does one find a cause or an organization that they can deeply connect with? Many of us have the best of intentions, but never move forward because we just don’t know where to begin.

Initially, Dr. Chuck and I thought our calling someday would be to do dentistry in the back waters of the world. We have traveled the globe extensively since the age of 20. There is a lot of suffering and unmet need out there for our particular professional expertise. But the more we spoke to others about this concept of "giving back", the more we realized that most folks seemed as stymied as we did about “where to begin?” Our path became clearer with every conversation and our calling emerged: we need to lead an organization that will fill the void that exists between the person with the gift and those with the need.

It is the perfect fit for our greatest gifts: Chuck and I are both "connectors" and discriminating "mavens". We have never met a stranger and we are like the town criers when we find something to sing about.

With that in mind, the Fiddlehead Foundation will basically do 3 things:

1.      It will develop a highly varied list of “recommended” charitable organizations that we have personally, extensively researched for authenticity, results and sound practices.

2.      It will work in a comprehensive, personal way with individuals to help them find a charitable organization that they can share their gifts with and connect deeply.

3.      It will make the connection happen between people with individual gifts, and those in a world of individual need.

If there is a reliable and user-friendly establishment that does this already, we have been unable to find it. If you know of one, please let us know so we can research its effectiveness.

Currently, we are in the initial stages of formation for the Fiddlehead Foundation. We are eager for feedback and insight. And we would enjoy any comments from interested folks. Until our foundation’s website is finished, feel free to contact us at lynda@sover.net .

Thanks for taking the time to learn about this endeavor. We’d love to hear from you.