Happy New Year!
Street theater with Henry at Gates HQ
This is an end of year fundraising appeal, the last one I will write in my role as ED, which is hard to believe. I am just going to ask right now, here at the beginning, that you consider a generous gift to CAGJ to #FundtheCollective, this beautiful organization of people who CARE about the wellbeing of people and the planet. And I invite you to Join the Collective too – at our organizing meeting on January 21st, where we will form our new board and Volunteer Collective to keep CAGJ rolling in 2025!
T H A N K Y O U
I’ve recently looked at hundreds of photos of CAGJ in action over the years, and they fill me with joy and gratitude. I’ve been so incredibly fortunate to be able to be a full-time organizer with CAGJ for so long. I’ve always really loved the work – the day-to-day of organizing is very satisfying to me. I love sending emails and getting responses! I love – and really miss – connecting with young and elderly folks who are passionate, curious, determined, generous, creative, bold, and kind. What an amazing group of people CAGJ attracts! I love this community. We’ve dreamed together, and created so many fun and engaging opportunities to connect and build our movements. Even – and especially – during the pandemic, we made art, we did street theater, we published a book, we held heartfelt discussions on Zoom, we made friends for life.
I’ve shed countless tears as I’ve contemplated leaving CAGJ. I need to move on to another phase in my life, but it’s really hard because this work has been so meaningful to me.
Dinner Parties!
I’ve found a way to stay connected in the New Year: I will organize monthly dinner parties for CAGJ folks to get together socially, with no agenda. I need more socializing in my life! We will gather at people’s homes for potlucks, and we will explore Seattle’s African restaurants, including Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen. Stay tuned for more details!
Gratitude
As I begin to look for my new job, I want to share my gratitude!
Thank you to all of the brilliant organizers who have dedicated parts of their lives to make CAGJ an engine for our movements, we could not have done it without you.
Thank you to CAGJ’s many partners, who work so hard to make the world a more fair and just place.
Thank you to all of CAGJ’s founders, who, as Emily Reilly shared at SLEE, had such an audacious vision of what was possible.
Thank you to every single person who has ever helped lead the organizations as a board or steering committee or Advisory board member!
Thank you to all of our members, including all of you who have donated, mostly to my salary, I am grateful beyond words to have had this quality of life.
Thank you everyone who has showed up! In all the ways!
Let’s stick together
Sending love and courage for the hard times we know are coming: let’s stick together, defend our communities, and keep fighting for the better world we all know is possible.
I’m not leaving right away! So I hope to see you in the New Year!
Heather
Noel Hutton, Heather Day, Simone Adler, Ashley Fent
