Editor’s Letter

The floods were raging in the rivers near author Maria Eugenia Choque’s home in La Paz, Bolivia. ReVista writers suffered viruses, both of the technological and biological types. Another author broke her hand. As I sat in my comfortable office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I became painfully aware of the fragility of life.

And it is that fragility of life – of all our lives – that lead us to think long and hard about Giving and Volunteering in the Americas. This issue of ReVista is a very collective effort of academics, practitioners, and philanthropists, both Latin Americans and North Americans. It would not have been possible without the individual efforts to overcome personal disasters and ordinary daily hassles for the common good. And it never would have happened without the hard work, guidance, and generous sharing of contacts and knowledge by Cynthia Sanborn and Rodrigo Villar. I thank them both from the bottom of my heart.