At the start of 2025, my New Year’s message was about the resolutions the Anchor House team had made, ones as an agency we intended to keep. I got to see firsthand the resolutions we made come to fruition — the expansion of our mental health services, a successful implementation of our Strategic Plan, and creating and deepening our community partnerships, to name just a few. I committed to honoring my personal resolution, to visit the beach more, where I find solace and inspiration. We made sure our kids got to visit there too!
Yet, like my partners in the nonprofit sector, I saw a lot of dark days in 2025, days that made me want to escape to the beach even more, even if just in my mind.
Yet I also think of the light in 2025. The people who were like the sunshine I love to see and feel at the beach. When our funding was being threatened (and still is), I think of all those who stepped up to advocate on our behalf, to donate, ones who quickly asked, “Kim, how can I help?”
I think of our community partners, the ones who are facing so many of their challenges of their own, ones who banded together to find new ways to help one another. Ones like One Simple Wish who pulled up a truck on their first stop on their Love Hope Joy Delivered tour and brought just that to our doorstep – love, hope and joy – and a lot of light. Or when the other awardees of the Sunset Grant through the Bunbury Fund at the Princeton Area Community Foundation gather together to brainstorm and find ways that we can help our community through these dark times.
I think about our donors and our volunteers, the ones who give their time and talent to Anchor House. I think about people like Carol Troy, who started Tara’s Starfish Foundation in memory of her daughter, who brought light to our youth by funding trips for them like ones to the beach.
I think of the people who take a week off from their jobs and their lives to participate in the Anchor House Foundation Ride for Runaways or choose to find time in their busy schedules to run, walk and ride over six weeks. I think about the collection drives caring people ran for back-to-schools supplies, Thanksgiving fixings, Code Blue essentials to protect youth from the bitter cold, and holiday gifts that brought cheer to our youth. And, despite all the darkness and uncertainty in our world, our donors came through, and we had our most successful end-of-year appeal ever!
Last but certainly not least, as always, I am thinking about our youth. Each of them brighten my life. They have faced so much darkness in their lives already. My resolution, Anchor House’s resolution, is to do all we can to help them from facing more darkness. I hope you will join Anchor House in making that resolution. Donating, volunteering, or working at Anchor House are a few ways you can shine your light.
I could write a book about all the people who bring light to Anchor House. Maybe I will start that at the beach this summer!
