[vc_row row_content_width=”grid” css=”.vc_custom_1507111398796{padding-top: 45px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”][vc_column][mkdf_elements_holder holder_full_height=”no” number_of_columns=”one-column” switch_to_one_column=”” alignment_one_column=””][mkdf_elements_holder_item vertical_alignment=”top” item_padding=”0px 3% 0px 0%”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][mkdf_section_title text_alignment=”left” title_tag=”h3″ title_mark=”dot” title_separator=”yes” title=”Ways To Give” title_separator_color=”#f34f27″ title_mark_color=”#f34f27″ text=”Want to be part of the solution? Common Ground Committee forums bring light not heat to the public discourse. Our goal to bring truth, clarity, understanding and progress to issues of importance, is something we can all agree on. Your financial support makes a difference by providing the resources needed to produce public forums in first class venues and with expert panelists.”][/mkdf_elements_holder_item][mkdf_elements_holder_item vertical_alignment=”top”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/mkdf_elements_holder_item][/mkdf_elements_holder][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1548085559698{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”10158″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_border_circle_2″][vc_column_text]

In Memory of Marin Skala

We lost a treasured friend and colleague when Martin Skala passed away on January 6. Martin was an early member of the Common Ground Committee and was a natural common grounder. His career was in business writing and he was very knowledgeable about topics in economics. While he certainly had his own opinions or these topics, he was very good at acknowledging contrasting views. 

Martin was a wonderful man.  He was the epitome of good-natured in all my dealings with him. He expressed a great open-mindedness and was intrigued by opposing views. It was not in his nature to harbor feelings of anger and animosity. He was a sweet man, and totally guileless.

But he was far from naïve. Martin was well informed on cultural trends and saw opportunities for us to move forward. For example, he was quick to identify the benefit of bringing Common Ground Committee to college campuses in the wake of what he viewed as intolerance towards opposing views. He saw the situation provided us with the opportunity to show students still developing their political thought how to see multiple sides of issues and thereby be more effective in their political engagement. At the same time, Martin was often the voice of pragmatism that would prevent us from moving too quickly or starting a new initiative without having first fully absorbed what was going to be required for a quality result. 

Martin often had an air of the absent-minded professor about him.  He was always willing to use the latest technology, even if it didn’t always come naturally to him. Often our Skype meeting entailed extra time to ensure that Martin’s camera was on, his sound was correct and that we could see at least part of his face when we carried on our meetings. Cultural trendiness was not his thing. After an email blast to our board members from Co-Founder Bruce Bond that contained the three-letter acronym “BTW”, our Co-Founder Erik Olsen received an email from Martin that said, “By the way Erik, what does BTW mean?”

Martin retired from Common Ground Committee in 2017 but he remained an advisor to the board and a staunch advocate for the work that we do. The Skala family has asked that donations made in his memory go to Common Ground Committee. If you prefer to send a check rather than donate here online please send it to our primary location at 11 Surrey Glen, Wilton, CT 06897, and indicate on the check that it is in memory of Martin.

 

Martin will be missed by all of us.

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1548085608252{background-color: #f7f7f7 !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1548085671366{background-color: #f7f7f7 !important;}”][mkdf_icon_with_text type=”icon-top” icon_pack=”font_awesome” fa_icon=”” title_tag=”” box=”yes” custom_icon=”9735″ title=”Giving Stocks” text=”Donate appreciated shares of stock or securities and reduce your federal income tax burden in a big way. Please contact treasurer Erik Olsen at erik.olsen@commongroundcommittee.org to find out how. “][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row content_text_aligment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1507101225617{margin-top: 20px !important;margin-right: 20px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column][mkdf_pricing_table columns=”mkdf-three-columns” space_between_columns=”small”][mkdf_pricing_table_item type=”simple-with-icon” active_item=”no” button_text=”” title=”Student” price=”20″ currency=”$” custom_icon=”9091″]

[/mkdf_pricing_table_item][mkdf_pricing_table_item type=”simple-with-icon” active_item=”no” button_text=”” title=”Standard” price=”100″ currency=”$” custom_icon=”9093″]

[/mkdf_pricing_table_item][mkdf_pricing_table_item type=”simple-with-icon” active_item=”no” button_text=”” title=”Friend” price=”250″ currency=”$” custom_icon=”9094″]

[/mkdf_pricing_table_item][mkdf_pricing_table_item type=”simple-with-icon” active_item=”no” button_text=”” title=”Patron” price=”500″ currency=”$” custom_icon=”9096″]

[/mkdf_pricing_table_item][mkdf_pricing_table_item type=”simple-with-icon” active_item=”no” button_text=”” title=”Sponsor” price=”1,500″ currency=”$” custom_icon=”9097″]

[/mkdf_pricing_table_item][mkdf_pricing_table_item type=”simple-with-icon” active_item=”no” button_text=”” title=”Other Amount” custom_icon=”9555″ currency=”$” price=”___”]

[/mkdf_pricing_table_item][/mkdf_pricing_table][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]* Please contact us at erik.olsen@commongroundcommittee.org if you wish to be listed as “Anonymous”
** Space is limited and will be provided on a first come, first serve basis[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”80″][/vc_column][/vc_row]