A letter from TFC’s CEO, Paula Neth

Dear Friends,

While it can’t quite top 2020, this has been yet another year for the history books! With so much happening in 2021, we thought the best way to recap the year’s highlights was an old fashioned holiday letter from The Family Conservancy.

As a main tenet of our strategic plan we began to define our Theory of Change early in 2020, and the pandemic didn’t slow us down. After testing and refining it, we were excited to launch our new Theory of Change in February 2021, which has served as a roadmap and guidepost as new challenges arise. You can find out more and read the document on our website.

Woven throughout our Theory of Change, and inherent to the service our staff provides to our clients daily, is our commitment to equity. We are deeply invested in our work to become a truly anti-racist and equitable organization, unpacking our own unconscious bias and past missteps. Most-specifically, we are asking ourselves if we are best serving children and families who have been denied resources and opportunities, and how we can make a lasting impact toward equitable outcomes in our community.

We are so grateful for the unwavering support from our community in 2021 as well. We ventured back into a socially distanced and masked Blue Carpet Event gala in October, and it was wonderful to see so many of you back in person after so long apart. Despite our smaller crowd, you all supported our mission just as much as pre-pandemic levels. Our incredible Betsy Vander Velde Award winner, Dr. Lee Howell, embodies the resilience and ingenuity of our child care provider community – surviving through this pandemic and not skipping a beat when it comes to supporting her families. And speaking of resilience, we are still in awe of Mia, who was another honored guest at Blue Carpet – she inspires us to show what a community coming together can do to support the families which live in it.

There is so much more good news to share. On the opposite side of this letter, you will find a highlight from each of our programs from 2021.

We have a lot to be thankful for and to celebrate this year, including your continued support and engagement with our mission.

Warmest Holiday Wishes,