THE GIFTS OF 2020

Family Matters’ joy-filled three-flat is lovingly named Lucinda. She envelops youth, families, and members of our community within the solid strength of her blonde brick walls. This safe haven has been constructed from mud and mortar, gifts and dreams. Each gift we share with one another, and every memory we cherish, are building blocks supporting and fortifying our beloved “home.” 

The building blocks are treasured memories layered upon the gifts of acceptance, friendship, and camaraderie that give us a collective purpose. We rejoice in the gifts that this often difficult year has afforded us. In the midst of it, we discovered ways we could come together to navigate through  the unexpected crisis, while gaining new insights and skills that we will carry into the future. 

At Family Matters, we are excited to add more joyful memories to the gifts we received this year. We will go on adventures, as the children of The Family Matters School blast into space to explore the solar system. We will express ourselves in novel ways, as the teens of Boys to Men and That Goddess Power amplify the voices of the community in our recently launched open-access recording studio and harness the power of stand-up comedy to lead conversations with their peers about bias, prejudice, and bullying. We will come together as a community to celebrate and learn alongside one another in parent mutual support groups, intergenerational knitting circles, and virtual youth-led documentary film screenings. 

As Lucinda offers us comfort, warmth, and a space to dream, share, and create, we build the future together. Perhaps the greatest gift of this year has been forging a path with you. We are grateful for your unwavering support of Family Matters and our work. May the coming year bring you many opportunities for incandescent joy and the spark of new connections.

With love from our family to yours,

The Family Matters family