John,
Here I am with my family and my Care Fellows cohort. The Care Fellowship helped me see that I wasn't alone as a caregiver. Will you help support this vital program?
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Can I share a bit of exciting personal news with you? I’m getting married in a little over two weeks! After years of pandemic nuptial chaos, we’re FINALLY celebrating this exciting new chapter now that we feel it's safe enough to do so.
As thrilling as this moment is, it hasn't all been glamorous or easy. At the same time that my partner and I started planning our wedding, my mom’s care needs started increasing, dramatically and swiftly. So my partner and I moved back home last spring so I could look after my mother full time.
While I have had experience being a full time caregiver for the past decade, my partner has not. To call this a wake up call for him would be a dramatic understatement. He is now painfully aware of how insufficient our care resources are in this country. He often asks how I managed by myself for so many years — something I wonder now, too. Nothing prepared him for what this would be like until he lived it — and so many other Americans are finding themselves in similar situations.
Care is hard to describe, fully. It’s hard to even prepare for, especially when no part of our existing infrastructure makes it easy to find what you need. For so many years I felt alone. It wasn’t until I connected with Caring Across back in 2018 and became a Care Fellow in 2019 that I felt seen and heard. I learned advocacy skills that empowered me to frame my story, not as a victim, but as an activist with a clear vision of what was needed. I gained community and found my voice. Since the program started, over 55 Fellows have successfully completed it. Three of us are now working for CAG full time because we believe in the importance of this work!
I’m asking you to support Caring Across today for one simple reason — we need more Care Fellows. Care Fellows are the heart of the work we do to change the way America cares. As the people closest to the care issues in our system, they’re closest to the solutions that we need. Fellows provide a unique perspective to Caring Across’s work. Donate today to support them.
We need you to support our ability to keep building community while recruiting fellow caregivers to become advocates for change. We need YOU.
My world feels whole now that my partner and I will be starting this exciting new chapter, but we still have no idea what’s in store tomorrow. Only that we want to face it together. And together, all of us can change care: I promise to stand by YOU, continue advocating for YOU, because the only power we have ever wielded is the power of YOU. Help us empower the next generation of care leaders.
Make a gift today and support the caregiving champions of tomorrow.
Thank you for all the ways you continue to support Caring Across.
With care,
Rebekah Alexander, Senior Individual Giving Manager
Caring Across Generations
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