Summer's Not Over Yet, Right?

Hello, September!

Is anyone else still holding on to summer, or is it just me? Every trip to the grocery store reminds me that fall is creeping in, with those aisles of Halloween candy staring me down. But I’m not quite ready to let go of summer just yet – it’s always been my favorite season, after all.

This summer, my family and I made the most of it. From an unforgettable adventure in South Africa to beach days and too much frozen yogurt (if there is such a thing…), we squeezed every ounce out of our 10 weeks. 

I also learned a few things along the way – like how my daughter opens up during our evening dog walks and how my son has endless, boundless energy and just needs to move (literally all the time). 

Now that school’s back in session and we’re getting into the groove of a new-yet-familiar routine, I’m keeping my summer mindset for a little while longer. It’s still hoooootttt here in Orange County (hi, #heatwave), but the tourists are gone and the mornings are quiet.

I’m excited for more space to think, work, and plan. To set fresh goals. To map out how I want to spend the rest of 2024. 

Here’s to balancing the warmth of the present with the excitement of a new season – with the excitement of the future.

With love and appreciation,

Sarah

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📚A RECENT IMPACTFUL READ

Last month, I read Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe. As the title suggests, the book profiles the Sackler family, the family forever entwined with Purdue Pharma, the creator of OxyContin – the drug that steered the U.S. into an opioid epidemic and killed nearly half a million people in the past two decades.

The book is devastating and yet I couldn’t put it down. Empire of Pain chronicles three generations of the Sacklers, ruthless drug marketing techniques, brutal legal tactics, and unrelenting greed.

🎵MORE GOLDFISH, PLEASE

When we were in South Africa, driving around in our rental car, a song came on the radio that all of us instantly loved. The song is “Going Home” by GoldFish and I dare you to listen to it and not become obsessed. ;)

🎉ARE YOU IN ORANGE COUNTY? DO YOU WANT TO HEAR PRIYA PARKER SPEAK IN OCTOBER?

If you answered yes and yes, then this section’s for you: The one and only Priya Parker, of The Art of Gathering fame, will be at the Orange County Grantmakers Summit at Orange Coast College on October 10 – in-person!!

She is brilliant and kind and generous and teaches us how to gather meaningfully. I learned a zillion and one things from her book when I read it, and now I’m super excited to be in the same room with her and learn some more. 

Check out the Summit and register here.

💘NONPROFIT LOVE

Founded in 1989, the Women’s Refugee Commission was created to ensure that the rights and needs of women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis are taken into account in humanitarian programs. 

Before then, refugee women and children were all but invisible. The Women’s Refugee Commission’s founders – Liv Ullmann, Catherine O’Neill, Susan Forbes Martin, and Susan Alberti – set about to change that. They were the first people to sit down with refugee women and ask them what they needed, what solutions they proposed. The feedback the refugee women shared formed the basis of the organization’s advocacy.

Today, the Women’s Refugee Commission is a leading research and advocacy organization that works to advance gender equality and resilience across humanitarian response. WRC’s groundbreaking work has led to transformative changes in humanitarian programming. As a result, refugee women, children, and youth now have greater access to sexual and reproductive health care from the very onset of an emergency. They are more likely to find safe, dignified work. Marginalized individuals, including displaced people with disabilities, are included in more programs and in making decisions that affect their lives. Preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence is now on the international agenda. And families and children seeking asylum in the United States have a fearless advocate looking out for their best interests.

I love this organization so, so much. To learn more about WRC’s work and this content topic, check out the TON of research and resources on WRC’s site.