In the past week, as I processed election news, talked with donors, sat with our students, strategized with our fundraising team, and worked on the annual report, I swung back and forth between two strong emotions.
On one end, there are reasons to feel anxious. So much is unknown. When the new administration rolls in, how will it change life in our neighborhood? Will our beautiful, vulnerable students be torn from their parents? Will the hardworking folks who make up our community have to move? Will they be swept away to anonymous private detention centers? Will our friends and family members on DACA be driven from the lives they have worked so hard to build?
We're at year end waiting to see who will step forward to support Presencia. To a small nonprofit like ours, raising $225,000 in the next two months feels like a long shot. Will we get what we need to start the new year in a secure place?
On the other hand, there are reasons to feel hope. So much is unknown. We are part of a strong, determined, generous, and creative community. Churches, families, and businesses are ready to stand with us. We don't yet know who will learn about our work and join us in the coming days. We don't yet know who will share their resources so that this purposeful, loving work can thrive. We don't know who will grow into leadership from within our community.
When the new administration rolls in, our neighborhood and the community around it will respond. What new and surprising shapes will their love take? How will our immigrant neighbors pull together and support each other? How will the diverse and well-resourced Presencia community lean in to this vital work? What new stories will we tell?
In the face of so much unknown, anxiety dwells on the damage that can occur. Hope sees the best possibilities and moves toward them. As a community, we're choosing hope. Are you with us?
Have a hopeful Friday!
Ian North
Co-founder, Development Director