“Expressing gratitude” is a term you hear a lot around the holidays, along with other phrases like “winter wonderland,” “holiday sales” and “maybe just one more piece of pie.”

Of course, when you depend on the generosity of others to perform your work, gratitude becomes more than just an annual event. It’s something we experience daily, even if we’re more prone to saying it aloud during this time of year.

And so, in the spirit of #GivingTuesday, we want to voice our thanks to the many people who sustain Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance.

Our mission focuses on protecting Pennsylvania children from abuse. And our gratitude extends to all those who support our efforts, on #GivingTuesday and beyond.

The poet Edwin Arlington Robinson once pointed out there are two types of gratitude — the immediate kind we feel for what we get, and the larger kind we feel for what we give. These distinct forms of gratitude surround us. There’s the instantaneous response we have to the generosity of our donors, whose backing enables us to fund programs such as:

• Educating professionals and volunteers through training on child abuse recognition and reporting
•  Supporting parents, families and children touched by addiction with the Families in Recovery program
• Running The Front Porch Project, where we help community members learn how to protect PA’s children

Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance relies on all sorts of donors. We receive assistance from individuals and corporations. Businesses sponsor programs like the PA Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids that raise awareness of abuse and neglect of children, which unfortunately happens in every community.

Without each one of our donors, we could not do what we do. And for that support, we feel incredibly grateful.

In addition to monetary donations, we also receive help in other ways. And that is where the second type of gratitude comes in, the type we feel for what we can give.

PFSA “gives” the tools needed, including education and training, to prevent child abuse. And we feel a larger sense of gratitude for the families, parents and others who choose to assist children in the commonwealth.

It may be a grandparent stepping in to raise a grandchild while a parent recovers from addiction. It may be a community member calling ChildLine to report something troubling they saw. Or it may be a teacher who simply believes a child when they confide what’s happening at home.

When it comes to the wellbeing of children, none of us can afford to remain passive. And so we want you to know how appreciative we are for any role you play in carrying out our mission.

With gratitude both immediate and large, we thank you for believing in and supporting PFSA.