2020 has been a year of struggles—from uncertainty to isolation, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in everyone’s life. At AHA Foundation, thanks to support from our donors, we worked through many challenges to ensure the continued strength of our impact.
In this blog, our team members share with you how their work and life have been affected this year and what they are grateful for this Thanksgiving.
At the AHA Foundation, even before COVID-19 we have been working virtually for two reasons – in order to reduce spending and hire the best people around the country. I feel extremely fortunate to have adjusted to working from home long before this pandemic changed everything.
I’m grateful for the amazing team at AHA Foundation that has continued to implement our programs that protect women and girls, and promote free speech on campuses despite the radically changed circumstances in 2020.
I think that the biggest challenge for me in 2020 has been the feeling that we are secluded, isolated, and confined to our homes. Prior to the pandemic, I was traveling at least once a month to talk to legislators, conduct trainings, and meet with our partners and donors. I was concerned that no travel could impact our work, but we adjusted – as you can see from the comments from my colleagues below. Having said that it has been a struggle to be isolated, limiting contact with work colleagues and friends, both of my daughters graduated from their respective undergraduate institutes and we have loved this chance to have them return home and live with us again!
This Thanksgiving, I feel grateful for my work and industrious colleagues, my supportive family and the outlet of sailing on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay.
– George Zarubin, Executive Director
Since March, it has felt like an unexpected challenge has arisen with regularity in my day-to-day work. How do you support a survivor’s need to file a police report remotely? And speaking of remote – how do new state laws that facilitate getting a marriage license remotely impact minors being forced to marry?
And what happens when you are this close to seeing a bill you’ve advocated for for months or years ground to a halt, first, because legislatures completely stop functioning, and then, when they return, their attentions are completely, (and appropriately,) consumed by handling pandemic-related bills or racial justice issues?
The short answer to how we’ve overcome all of these obstacles is by keeping the women and girls we serve front and center in our attention and our work.
Our team of help request case managers doggedly work to find solutions for individuals who can’t physically get to a police department. We research and we raise awareness about dangers minors face when child marriage is still legal in their state, and now barriers to getting a marriage license have been made slightly less onerous. We continue to remind legislators that the women and girls we work to protect have been made more vulnerable by being trapped at home with their abusers, and that legislation to protect them is more urgent than ever.
Along with the unexpected challenges of this year have come unexpected blessings. What I’m most thankful for this year is the forced slowdown. Without my usual hectic travel schedule, I’ve very much appreciated the time I’ve been given to spend together with my family and reflect on what is truly important in our lives.
– Amanda Parker, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Director
2020 has definitely been the oddest year of my life. Working from home full time and sharing a space with my husband was a huge adjustment, especially while living in an apartment. Over the past eight months, we have both become experts at quietly making our morning coffee during your partner’s Zoom call, or running to answer the door so our dog Piper doesn’t bark incessantly during a call.
This year I transitioned to a new position in the Foundation, and my new role focuses mainly on planning college campus events to raise awareness about female genital mutilation (FGM), child and forced marriage, honor violence, and Islamism, extremism that threatens Western civilization. In the era of COVID-19, all of our events have been moved online. Continuing the campus program during this difficult time is more important than ever, I am thankful for the amazing campus fellows we have in our program who refuse to let COVID tamper their activism efforts.
All things considered, I am thankful for my physical and mental health. I am grateful for the extra time spent at home this year, which led to me exploring cooking, baking, and decorating my space. Most of all I am excited and thankful that this year is almost over. I am hopeful that 2021 will bring much-needed positivity and comradery between Americans and we will continue to raise awareness about and fight against gender-based violence.
– Natalie Arroyo, Campus Program Coordinator
It’s easy to look at 2020 and grumble. To be fair, those complaints are justified. This undoubtedly has been a tough year for reasons I don’t need to explain. That being said, you have to find the light in all situations. And there has been plenty of light this year too.
I joined AHA Foundation in early May after graduating from the University of Georgia. By the time I became a part of the team, there had already been several legislative victories: FGM bans in Vermont, Kentucky, and Wyoming. With COVID-19 commanding the attention of state and federal officials, I wondered if we’d be able to get anything else through this year.
That kind of thinking showed just how much of a rookie I was. I think within two days of me starting at AHA Foundation, the state of Pennsylvania outlawed all marriages under the age of 18. A few days later, Minnesota did the same. At that point, it was clear we could have success despite the roadblocks of a global pandemic. Only a few months later, Massachusetts went on to pass its own FGM ban and the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to strengthen the federal FGM ban.
So while I’ve missed out on opportunities to visit my family back in Texas and do certain activities with friends, there is still much to be thankful for—the success we’ve had here at AHA, a good physical and mental well-being, and a reason to stay in on a Friday without feeling bad.
– Dylan Webber, Communications and Development Assistant
When you’re working to liberate women and girls from cultural practices that are harmful to their health and well-being, it would be strange not to feel hugely grateful for the freedoms you enjoy. I am so lucky to have been born a free woman, able to make choices about how I live my life. My freedom to work as a woman is made immensely pleasurable by the AHA team.
Developing a team of people who understand each other and work well together makes for a happier and more productive working environment and requires good leadership. In these unusual times, clouded with COVID-19 uncertainty, the AHA directors have strived to create a stable and supportive environment. A few minutes of every AHA zoom meeting is allocated to talking, laughing, catching up, or commiserating, making a huge difference when otherwise you might be feeling isolated. I am grateful for those few minutes each week spent connecting with my colleagues.
– Lisa Brett, Senior Consultant
This year has been a formidable year of reflection for me, not only because we’ve all had to adjust to spending more time alone, but also because a lot has happened in just one year. Despite feeling isolated and overwhelmed by uncertainty, I have been forced to recognize how privileged I truly am, because the fact is, my day-to-day life has not changed substantially since the pandemic began. Yet, I am acutely aware that this is not the reality for most. So, although my world has continued to turn throughout COVID-19, I have often feared that the most vulnerable women and girls in our country are not able to say the same.
Acknowledging this, however, has only strengthened my commitment to fight for those who may not enjoy the freedoms that so many of us take for granted.
There is no question that 2020 has been a year of grave defeat and significant loss for many, but I continue to remain optimistic that the opportunity to rebuild and strengthen our communities will arise from this crisis. Like most of my peers and colleagues, I too have missed spending time with loved ones, have missed simple pleasures like date-night at the movies, and have wished that I could predict when all of this would end, but yet, I have also experienced many personal victories.
I recently joined AHA foundation, where I feel blessed to work with like-minded and equally dedicated individuals towards the protection of women and girls. Meanwhile, this year has also brought me one step closer to completing my master’s degree and I am incredibly fortunate that I have been able to continue my studies through virtual classes. So, at the end of the day, I’d have to say I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
– Brooke Bumgarner, Prospect and Program Development Coordinator
