Dear Street Sense Readers,
When I was a customer of Street Sense, I imagined the organization as a fairly large enterprise. This impression is shared by so many people I meet. It’s because you can’t cross the city without seeing a handful of men and women in bright yellow vests proudly holding up the current issue of the 16-page bi-weekly newspaper full of content that goes uncovered by most mainstream news sources.
It wasn’t until I was exploring the executive director role in 2009 when I realized how something so pervasive in our city functioned on so little. I was stunned to learn that Street Sense ran out of two rooms in a church, that you could count the staff members on one hand and that the organization relied on hundreds of small gifts and committed volunteers to keep its wheels turning.
The mission of Street Sense always has and always will resonate deeply with me. I am inspired daily by our vendors who are working so hard to improve their lives; our staff : Mary, Lisa and Amy, who work tirelessly day in and day out without the space, resources or thanks they deserve; as well as all of you who commit yourselves to the cause to make our city a better, more just place to live.
For a variety of both personal and professional reasons, I have decided to step down from my role at Street Sense. I am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together in the past year. The organization is on sounder financial footing through a broader community of support. We have begun building meaningful partnerships with key homeless service providers, laying the groundwork for individualized vendor development plans to help Street Sense vendors move their lives toward true self-sufficiency. And, we are continuing to provide high-quality content you can only learn about issueto-issue via Street Sense.
The organization is poised for a new leader to build upon the momentum that started in 2003 with Street Sense cofounders, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, and continues today. There is an impressive pool of candidates, and I am confident that the next executive director will take the organization to new heights.
I plan to continue being an advocate for Street Sense in the community, buying the paper from vendors and giving philanthropically to support the organization’s continued growth, and I hope you will join me. I encourage you to make this year’s New Year’s Resolution a meaningful resolution you can keep – consider supporting Street Sense all year long by setting up a recurring monthly contribution at www.streetsense.org > Donate.
The work at Street Sense cannot continue without you.
We need your help to make a difference.
Happy Holidays!
Abby
