Dear subscribers,
Some of you may not know about my 9-5. It’s true, this newsletter is not yet sufficient to pay the bills (a girl can dream).
I’m a fundraising director at Gesu School: Philadelphia’s oldest independent Catholic elementary/middle school serving some of the city’s most vulnerable Black youth. Our mission is to transcend poverty through innovative, holistic education. We support their families with financial assistance for bills, rent, counseling, etc., too. Through this life-changing experience, our graduates move on to some of the most selective high schools in the state. Gesu is often cited as a national model for inner-city education.
Because we’re independent and don’t receive funding from the state or the Archdiocese, we are tasked with raising $5 million annually. And today happens to be our big day of giving, the One Day Challenge. A generous donor has agreed to make a $15,000 donation if we can secure 500 unique donations in a day. That means you can give $2 and it still makes a massive impact. I run our Junior Board—a group of young professionals committed to spreading our mission throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region—and we have a personal goal of $3,000. I hope you’ll consider helping us reach (and smash!) that today.
Donate here: https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/OneDayGesu2021/team/JuniorBoard
I feel weird, even somewhat grifty, sharing this as this week’s newsletter, but it’s important you see this piece of my life beyond relationships and parties and outfits. Our online presence can eclipse even the most vital parts of our identities, and this happens to be one of mine. It’d feel morally irresponsible not to plug this to all 300 of you who are, I’d bet, as invested in racial equity and empowerment as I am. And maybe if you learn that most of our students know someone who’s been shot… or that most of our students live in single-adult homes earning less than $25,000 annually with multiple children… or that our teachers have dipped into their own pockets to buy students mattresses when they’ve learned they’re sleeping on the floor… you might be inclined to spare a buck.
If you have any questions about our mission or operations before you consider giving, please don’t hesitate to email me dia@brokebutmoisturized.com. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, sharing, supporting, and beyond. I’ll try not to ask much from you going forward… no promises, though.