Melinda sits across from me with a shy smile on her face, after she's just spent the last two hours telling me about her childhood. Her story is a familiar one of failed systems and irresponsible adults, of running away, of vulnerability and predators. It's no less painful to hear even though I've heard variations on the same theme thousands of times over the last 13 years. We've talked about her anger at her mother's abandonment, her guilt for telling the truth about an abusive foster mother that led to her removal from that home and a placement into an even worse one that led to the streets. I told her that it wasn't her fault. It's what I tell all of the girls, and it's always true.
I've known Melinda for a while now but this is the most she's ever shared with me. She'd turned up late tonight at the office, as I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to write for our annual appeal letter. She was homeless, tired, cold and hungry. We shared shrimp and broccoli from the Chinese restaurant, and I gave her clothes and toiletries. She was about to go to sleep in one of our crisis beds when she'd begun to start sharing. Now she's quietly thinking, smiling to herself. "What are you thinking now, hon?" I ask. "It feels good to talk to someone. I don't really have anyone to talk to like that. You know, y'all are my family." She smiles again. "GEMS is always here for me. If I need clothes, if I need somewhere to stay, if I need soap. You got my back."
I drive home later that night, tired but happy that GEMS exists, that we can be there for girls like Melinda, that I'm lucky enough to do this work. I'm a little concerned that I still didn't manage to write the appeal. We're on deadline and our end of year appeal is critical for our fundraising efforts. I see a text message come in and worry that it might be a crisis, a girl in trouble, someone hurt, someone in danger. Instead it's a message from Jennifer, who recently left her pimp after four years and has just found a job. "Thank u. U all helped me even when I was too thick-headed to see it. I appreciate all of u in GEMS." I write her back immediately, telling her that we love her and are so proud of her and that we'll always be here for her. It's the same thing I tell all the girls and it's always true.
I start to try to write the appeal when I get home at 2 a.m. but I'm stuck. I feel like I write the same thing every year and there's so much to convey. I think about all the things we've done this year, the Safe Harbor law going into effect, testifying with one of our youth leaders before Congress and getting to meet the President, the success of our educational program and the excitement of seeing one of our former members get her associate's degree and join our full-time staff. I think about that the fact that we served 337 girls last year, and that the number of girls we're serving keeps increasing, and that we need your support more than ever. I'm struggling to find the right words that will capture all of the amazing growth that we've experienced this year, all of our hard work and successes, all of our needs and challenges; a letter that will compel you to give to GEMS, out of all the worthy causes out there.
When I finally sit down to write, I realize that I want to share what's really on my heart today. Nothing huge happened last night. No one graduated college, or passed her GED. No one spoke before Congress or at the UN. No one miraculously left her pimp and escaped a violent situation. But one girl who was hungry and homeless got some clothes, deodorant, Chinese food and a bed for the night. And she opened up and shared some really painful parts of her past with an adult who listened and told her she wasn't to blame. Another girl got a job and had someone to celebrate that achievement with her. Both girls got to hear that they were loved and cared for, that GEMS would always be there for them. They've heard it before and they know, because we've proven it time and time again, that it's true.
Come to think of it, that's pretty huge.
So here's what I realize I want to say to you: without your support we can't be there for the big and little steps, the daily victories and the momentous successes. Girls need clothing and food and shelter as much as they need love. In fact, it's through our practical support that we can show our love. Financial support doesn't really create the sense of family or community that is so critical for girls and young women to heal, but it does create a safe, warm, inviting place to come to and people who'll be there. It creates educational support, scholarships, computers to write resumes and to look for jobs, and it supports employment opportunities at GEMS. It funds trained counselors, supplies for art therapy, mats for yoga group, Christmas presents and trips to the movies. And funding ensures that girls walking in the doors of GEMS get to see survivors who've overcome the same challenges but who are now thriving because they once received the same services and support, giving girls and young women a tangible model of what their future can look like.
We need you to give so that we can do the work that we do well and so that we can continue to be a safe haven that empowers commercially sexually exploited and trafficked girls and young women. We need you and can't do this work without you. And yes, it's the same thing I said last year and the same thing I've said many times before, and it's always true.
Thank you for all of your continued support. Wishing you a blessed and safe holiday season.