Dear Friend,
This is a hard morning. A really, really hard morning.
The shock, pain, sadness, disappointment, disillusionment, hurt, and anger feels nearly unbearable. And yet, we’ve been here before, haven’t we? It may look a bit different than last time and hurt a bit (or a lot) more, but I’m taking comfort that we’ve been here before. And we figured out a way forward. Together.
The 2016 election taught me it’s the tough times that remind you who you are, what you stand for, what matters, and how, despite the “roar” of feelings, you can find quiet determination to persevere. As we gathered together the morning after the 2016 election for our Women Building Community Luncheon, it was abundantly clear to me that the work of the Women’s Foundation was more important than ever and that the 500+ people in the room that day had shown up because they needed our community.
I wish that we could be together today—the day after another devastating election—to comfort, commiserate, and console one another, but as alternative, I’m sending you this note as a reminder: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Our community, of which you are a part, is right beside you as you make your way through this day and the days ahead.
And just as important, our work at the Women’s Foundation will carry on, more determined than ever. We promise to be a bold voice for women and girls in the Granite State. We promise to empower and train women to run for office. We promise to invest in organizations across the state who are serving women and girls. We promise to advocate for reproductive freedom and we will not stop until New Hampshire joins the rest of New England in creating a statutory right to abortion. Finally, we promise to elevate and execute our strategic priorities of Voice, Money & Power.
This morning, we wake again with an unwavering determination: We are the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation and will continue to elevate the voices of women and girls, expand women’s and girls’ power in the Granite State, and we will dramatically increase the money going to organizations serving women and girls.
Please take care of yourself today. Turn off your phone; take a walk; do what you need to sustain and repair yourself. When you are ready, we will be here, ready to move forward. Together.
With you in spirit and action,
