Well hello, good morning, and a wonderful Friday to you.

Another month has flown by, and November is right at our doorstep. Time seems to have moved even faster in 2026 than it did in 2025.

With the passage of time, the topic that brings us back to this article today arises once again from the need for our community to help, with whatever little they can, to fulfill a long-needed dream: the opening of the Magellan Home—or Magalhães, as you prefer. In November 2027, precisely one year from now, the official grand opening of this great project will take place. Quite frankly, I do not understand why there aren’t more donations and greater community will to see it through. This is not a time for envy or cynicism; it is a time to show solidarity and open our minds.

Do you know what being a “Philanthropist”—a fancy word for being generous—can do?

Let me explain… philanthropy promotes social well-being by directing resources, time, and support toward solving problems and improving the population’s quality of life.

Key Impacts on Well-Being

• Access to Health and Education: Helps support hospitals, clinics, scholarships, and educational initiatives for vulnerable individuals.
• Reduction of Inequalities: Supports social assistance networks that fight hunger, poverty, and social exclusion.
• Innovation in Social Causes: Enables the testing of new approaches in areas such as mental health and technologies that the public sector cannot always fund immediately.
• Community Strengthening: Creates a network of solidarity that unites donors and communities, while also fostering a sense of purpose and emotional well-being for those who give.

In an “almost perfect” world, and in a well-meaning community among 300,000 Portuguese descendants, if everyone gave just $20 each, it would total $6 million. In a perfect world, free of envy and malice.

I leave you with that thought.

It is what it is, and it will always be worth what it’s worth.

Thank you very much and see you soon,

Cristina DaCosta/MS