A Message from Treetops Collective Board of Directors
Dear Collective,
On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for supporting Treetops’s work! We are grateful for the individuals, families, faith communities, and businesses that believe in spreading welcome in our community.
Our mission of cultivating welcome and belonging has never been more vital. Our collective work is aimed at combating loneliness, which is even more apparent to all in the present moment. In response to COVID-19, we are experiencing a snippet of what those who were forcibly displaced have experienced in terms of loneliness, disconnection, and isolation. We believe that one good thing that can come out of our present circumstances is a deeper empathy with families who flee, make a life in a refugee camp, then resettle, only to be isolated in their new community.
Treetops is supporting New American program members by providing extra check-ins, food baskets, support applying for benefits, and meeting other urgent needs. Our New American neighbors have so much to teach us about seeking connection and pursuing goals in the face of loneliness. We can look to them as examples of resilience, resourcefulness, compassion, and hopefulness. Even in the midst of the unknown, we look forward to the coming season with hope for this growing Collective.
In this season of hope, we are also very excited to announce that the Board of Directors has appointed Treetops Collective’s next executive director, Tarah Carnahan. Four years ago, Tarah co-founded Treetops Collective and led alongside Dana Doll as the business development director, building a vibrant social enterprise.
The Board of Directors is exceptionally grateful for and supportive of Tarah’s vision for Treetops in this next season. Tarah is a gifted leader who illustrates the mission of Treetops in her own life with boundless passion and hope. Her experience in social enterprise, storytelling, and nonprofit leadership will enable us to deepen our impact even in this unprecedented season.
Finally, the Board of Directors invites you to join the work of Treetops in this season of hope through our $30k in 30 Days campaign. We are celebrating our new executive director and four years of serving New American women and teen girls and the communities that welcome them! Your gifts today both celebrate a new chapter and support essential programs through unprecedented seasons of change for Treetops Collective and our global community. It would be a profound tragedy if the lessons we learn about interconnectedness and human social needs are forgotten when physical distancing is no longer required.
As a reflection of our belief in the importance of Treetops Collective’s work in this unique time, the Board of Directors has already committed $1,000 to this campaign. Please join us as you are able.
Thank you for spreading welcome by being part of this exciting new chapter of the Collective!
Gratefully,
Laura Hofman-Watrous
President of the Board of Directors
