Friend,

What I wouldn’t give for one more love letter from Charlie.  

One more handwritten note left beside my coffee before he rushed out the door.  

One more folded piece of paper on my pillow before he had an early flight.  

One more moment where he intentionally set aside the noise of the world just to remind me that I was loved. 

About this time last year, Charlie and I sat together on-stage at the Women’s Leadership Summit (WLS), answering questions from young women about marriage, family, faith, raising children, and the kind of future they hoped to have one day. 

Somewhere during that conversation, I mentioned the notes he would write to me. 

They were one of the many quiet ways Charlie loved me. 

I shared that he would write them whenever he had a moment while he honored the Sabbath.   

He never missed one.  

Sometimes they were only a few sentences, but they carried such a deep reverence about them. He’d hand me words that felt sacred. 

I saved every single one of those letters.  

Charlie knew how much those little notes meant to me, and now I treasure them in a way I never could have understood at the time. 

I hold onto every word he left for me. 

And looking back, I think about the young women in the room listening to us that night at the Women’s Leadership Summit. 

Because so many of those young women were longing for something this culture keeps trying to convince them no longer matters. 

A strong family. A faithful marriage. Children raised in a home filled with purpose and love. 

A life rooted in God instead of endless striving and the empty pursuit of self. 

And honestly, Friend, I think that ache runs much deeper than most people realize. 

I see it constantly when I meet young women across the country. 

So many feel exhausted by the pressure to chase an image of success that leaves them anxious, disconnected, and lonely. 

They’ve been told that fulfillment comes from constant achievement… endless comparison… putting themselves first. 

But as I said last year, the enemy has a way of disguising bondage as empowerment. 

I think that’s part of why so many young women are drawn to the Women’s Leadership Summit in the first place. 

Because for one weekend, thousands of young women come together and realize they are not alone for wanting a different kind of life. 

They meet other young women who still love God, still believe family matters, and still want meaningful lives rooted in faith and purpose. 

Last year during our question-and-answer session at the Women’s Leadership Summit, one young woman walked up to the microphone... and Charlie recognized her immediately. 

Before she could even ask her question, Charlie’s face lit up with a huge smile as he said, “Hey! So... you’re getting married!” 

The room burst into cheers as she smiled and nodded her head. 

And then Charlie reminded everyone why he recognized her in the first place. 

The year before, she had stood at the mic and asked him a simple question: 

“How do I meet a husband?” 

A year later, she came back to WLS engaged.  

I smile thinking about how excited everyone in that room was for her. 

I see moments like that every year at the Women’s Leadership Summit. And after I leave, I always carry home a deep sense of hope about this next generation of young women. 

Not because they have everything figured out. 

But because so many of them are still searching for what is true, and for who God designed them to be. 

Revival is not going to come through louder politicians or more influencers.  

It’s going to come through the living rooms of mothers who pray with their children, pray over their children, and love their husbands. And through bold actions of unshakeable devotion to Jesus Christ. 

I believe the way a woman loves her family, raises her children, serves others, and walks with God leaves a mark on the world far greater than most people will ever realize. 

That’s why this event matters so deeply to me. 

And when I think back on my own life, I know how true that is. 

Before I met Charlie, I was not dreaming about marriage, motherhood, and building a family. 

But when I met the right man, everything shifted. Everything changed. 

And before doors open in San Antonio for the Women’s Leadership Summit this June, I just want to thank you for helping make this event possible year after year. 

Thank you for helping us continue pouring into these young women. 

Thank you for helping carry forward a mission that changes so many lives — including mine. 

I truly cannot wait to see what God does through this next generation of young women. 

For Charlie,

Erika Kirk

CEO & Chair

Turning Point USA

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P.S. Looking back now, I think some of the moments that leave the deepest mark on your life are the ones you almost don’t realize are sacred while you’re living them. 

A love note on Saturday. A prayer before bed. A husband asking how he can better serve you.   

You don’t realize until much later that those small acts of love and faithfulness were quietly building something eternal inside your home. 

I read all of Charlie’s love letters even slower now.  

And as I read his words, the weight on my heart reminds me that we were never promised gray hair and rocking chairs — even though we assumed it was guaranteed.  

Charlie and I built our marriage around the kind of covenant described in Ephesians 5 — rooted in faith, sacrifice, service, and putting Christ at the center of our home. 

And it's another reason why Charlie cared so deeply about our nation's young people — both men and women.

He wanted them to know there is still meaning to be found in building a beautiful life rooted in the things that actually last. 

Get married.  
Have children.  
Build a legacy.  
Pass down your values.  
Pursue the eternal.  
Seek true joy.  

That kind of life may not be what this culture celebrates anymore… but I still believe with my whole heart that it is the life so many young women are quietly searching for. 

As the Women’s Leadership Summit approaches, I’m deeply grateful for people like you who help us continue to create a place where they can encounter that kind of faith, encouragement, and purpose. 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.  

And with the doors opening in a matter of days, if you’d like to help one more young woman find her calling, you can do so here.