What Jonathan Reminded Me About Generosity

One of the unexpected gifts of this first year at 210 Collective has been watching a community grow around Room 210.

When we first opened our doors last September, I spent a lot of time thinking about the community we hoped to build for our citizens. I imagined friendships forming, meaningful work being created, and people discovering new confidence in themselves. What I didn’t expect was the community that would begin to form around them.

Jonathan has become one of those people.

Jonathan serves on staff at Storyhill Church, and his office is just around the corner from ours. His job has nothing to do with 210 Collective, but if you stopped by on any given day, you might find him in our room anyway. Sometimes he’s checking in with our staff, but more often he’s sitting with our citizens during lunch, asking about their day, catching up on what’s new, or simply enjoying being with them. Somewhere along the way, he quietly became part of the rhythm of Room 210.

A few weeks ago, one of our staff members shared a story with me that has stuck in my mind. At the end of the day, a volleyball somehow found its way into the room. Jonathan gave spinning it on his finger a try, only to discover that one of our citizens could do it much better than he could. That moment naturally turned into a conversation about some of her interests, and Jonathan did what he always seems to do - he leaned in. He asked questions, listened, and gave her the chance to talk about something she enjoyed. It wasn't a profound moment, and that's exactly why I love it. It was simply another example of Jonathan taking the time to really know our citizens, not just as participants in a program, but as people with unique interests, talents, and stories worth hearing.

That story made me think back to something I noticed shortly after we opened our doors last September. As I was reviewing our monthly donors, I saw Jonathan's name. I had never asked him to give, and he never told me he planned to. He just quietly started giving every month.

The more I’ve reflected on it, the more I’ve realized those two stories aren’t separate. Jonathan didn’t become a donor first and then get to know our citizens. He got to know our citizens first. He learned their names, shared meals, celebrated their accomplishments, and became invested in their lives. His monthly gift simply became another expression of that relationship. It’s reminded me of something I’ve been learning this year:

People don’t give to organizations.
They give to people they know and love.

I’ve realized that’s true of so many of the people who support 210 Collective. The volunteers who faithfully show up every week. The donors who stop by just to say hello. The families who invite friends to come see what we’re doing. The people who know our citizens by name and celebrate with them when they master a new skill or earn another paycheck. Their generosity didn’t begin with a donation. It began with a relationship.

Maybe that’s because people don’t really fall in love with mission statements. They fall in love with people.

I’ve watched it happen over and over again this year. Someone comes to volunteer for an afternoon. They stay for lunch. They get to know one of our citizens. A friendship begins. Before long, they find themselves cheering them on, praying for them, stopping by to visit, inviting friends to come see what they’ve experienced, or quietly becoming a monthly donor. None of that starts because someone made a compelling fundraising pitch. It starts because they came to know and love the people of Room 210.

That’s been one of the sweetest surprises of this first year. We set out to create meaningful work and community for adults with intellectual disabilities. What God has built is a community that includes citizens, volunteers, families, church staff, neighbors, donors, and friends. Every person brings something valuable, and every relationship makes this place stronger.

If this story resonates with you, we’d love to invite you to experience Room 210 for yourself.

One of the things we’ve learned this year is that it’s hard to fully understand what happens here through a newsletter or a website. The heart of 210 Collective isn’t found in the products we make or even in our mission statement. It’s found in the people. It happens around the lunch table, during the workday, in conversations that turn into friendships, and in the little moments that remind us we’re all made for community.

If you’ve never visited, we’d love to change that. Come take a tour of Room 210. Better yet, let one of our citizens show you around. They’re our favorite tour guides, and they love sharing what they’ve been working on.

Or pull up a chair and join us for lunch any Monday through Wednesday from 12:00–1:00. We’d love for you to experience the conversations, laughter, and community that happen around our lunch tables every day.

If you’re looking for a little extra joy in your week, you’re also invited to join us for what we affectionately think is one of the happiest worship services around. Every Wednesday at 1:00, our citizens, staff, volunteers, and friends gather to sing, pray, dance, and worship together. We’d love to save you a seat.

And if, after spending some time in Room 210, you find yourself wanting to become part of this story, whether that’s by volunteering, giving, praying, or simply telling a friend about what you’ve experienced, we’d be honored to welcome you.

Because we’ve learned something this year that we don’t think we’ll ever forget:

People don’t give to organizations.
They give to people they know and love.

We’d love for you to come meet ours.

Heidi Karant
210 Founder and Executive Director