I’m gonna be right up front with you: this is gonna be a little sappy. It’s the day before Thanksgiving, my daughter just turned two, the weather is amazing, one of my favorite bands is playing in town Saturday night, and my wife still loves me. I just can’t help but be all isn’t-life-great right now. Life IS good, and I’m thankful.

Part of being thankful is giving back. The whole pay-it-forward thing. If you’ve been tracking along with our blog since Valentine’s Day 2012 (isn’t everyone!?), you’ll recall that we have a little program we call LOVErdis. It’s our way of giving back to the community through charitable giving and sweat equity. In that February blog, I mentioned all the great nonprofits that we had supported in 2011 and through February 2012. It’s time to update the list for March through November.

• Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium – Yes, Nebraska’s premier state attraction is a nonprofit and relies, in part, on giving.
• Nature Conservancy – Nature is powerful and people aren’t in it enough. Nature Conservancy protects it and educates about it.
• Legal Aid of Nebraska – Promoting justice, dignity, hope and self-sufficiency through quality civil legal aid for those who have nowhere else to turn.
• Keep Omaha Beautiful – We love Omaha, especially when its green, clean and beautiful.
• Fontenelle Forest/Neale Woods – Two of the most beautiful places in the Omaha area. I absolutely love spending time there.
• Emerging Terrain – Trugs, ElevATE, Stored Potential, Shifting Thresholds, and Harvest Dinner: easily some of the coolest projects in Omaha…ever.
• Project Interfaith – Share. Learn. Believe. Project Interfaith is gaining international attention for their great work.
• Filmstreams – One of the best film-as-an-art-form venues in the country. If only I could get there more often. Miss you, Ruth Sokolof Theatre.
• Community Bike Project – Learn to maintain and ride your bike…and so much more.

We will soon be discussing which twelve organizations we’ll be supporting in 2013. It’s a very democratic process, and I’m looking forward to hearing the team’s thoughts on which Omaha organizations they would like LOVErdis to give a little love. If you want to plug any organizations, feel free. We can be influenced.

LOVErdis would not be possible without the charitable checkbook account we have through the Omaha Community Foundation. My lovely wife and I hosted a little event at inCOMMON last week during which we politely and tactfully urged our friends (after a few cocktails) to open their own account. If you’re giving back to the community, the charitable checkbook is THE way to do it.

According to CNNMoney, I have one of America’s best new jobs. Couldn’t agree more. But there are three things that make it great. First, the clients we work with. Here at Verdis HQ we often talk about whether or not people “get it” and generally refuse to work with those that don’t. Fortunately we are amazingly lucky to work with organizations that “get it”. Take a look at our (slightly outdated…my bad) case studies; they’re all great organizations that we get excited to work with everyday.

Secondly, my job is great because of the people that are Team Verdis. I’ve never worked with a group of such intensely passionate, razor-sharp, down-to-earth, likeable, and hard working people in my life. I can’t imagine Verdis without any of them. For that, I am very thankful.

Finally, my job is da bomb because I get to spend every day working on one of humanity’s greatest challenges: climate change. And by “challenge”, I really mean “opportunity”. While not every day is perfect, and we found ourselves shaking our heads often leading up to the November election, we are making progress. It gives me the warm fuzzies to think about it.

Sappy enough for ya? I think I’ll celebrate all of this thankfulness by absolutely gorging myself tomorrow. Mashed potatoes, here I come.

Onward and upward!