John,

We’re both organizers, so a lot of what we do is just listen to the people we work with. A decade or so ago, there was this real pattern of domestic workers who were suddenly being asked to care for the aging relatives of the families that they worked for.

We realized that we were on the cusp of a massive demographic shift in this country, that no one was talking about. We’re all aging and living longer, which should be a blessing, not a burden. But our society hadn’t adapted any of our systems, policies or culture to really support dignity or quality of life as we age. And that had huge implications for all of us.

Lightbulbs went off about the potential of a campaign that would bring all of these pieces together, and support caregivers and people who needed care alike. So ten years ago, we founded Caring Across Generations.

It’s incredible to think about how much has changed in the last ten years. A decade ago, care workers were an invisible workforce. Now they’re hailed as essential workers. Back then, people didn’t even talk about our lack of family leave policies. Now, they’re a key part of the president’s agenda.

After ten years of work, and with your support at every step of the way, we're seeing the beginnings of what we imagined, for sure.

We’ve won significant victories in Hawai’i and Washington, changing the standard for how millions of people experience caregiving.

And right now, there is transformative change being discussed in Congress. It's not just an idea that's floating around. It's legislation on paper that is being discussed with budget line items. And it's real. We're on the precipice of something transformative.

There’s so much work still to do, but we are both so hopeful about what's possible. It feels right within reach. And we’re incredibly energized by all of the people who have come together to make this moment possible.

Thank you for joining us in making Caring Across Generations what it is today. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating our 10th anniversary over the next few months. On social media, we’ll be highlighting conversations with some of the people who have made this work possible since the beginning. They’ll reflect on what has changed for them over the last ten years, and tell us their hopes for what caregiving could look like in another ten years. Check out Ai-jen’s thoughts here, and Sarita's thoughts here, and let us know what you imagine the future of caregiving will look like in the comments.

We hope that, ten years from now, we won’t have to do this work anymore — that by 2031, we’ll have rebuilt the system so completely that future generations have a fundamentally different set of choices and a foundation to build upon. But in the meantime, there’s a lot of work still to do!

With your continued support, we can build the future we all want, where we can all live, work, age and care with dignity and support, across generations and ability, supported by care workers who are valued. Will you help us get there?

Will you join us to celebrate our anniversary by making a gift of $100 today — $10 for every year of Caring Across Generations’ work?

If you’re not in a place where you can make a contribution today, that’s okay! We all give care in the ways we are able. Continue to build this movement with us, to take action for caregiving, and to change the way our culture values care. All of our contributions matter.

With care,

Ai-jen Poo and Sarita Gupta
Co-founders, Caring Across Generations