Enthralled with the good ones. . .

I was accepted into Summer Search when I was a 6th grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael. The program absolutely changed the trajectory of my life not only with summer trips but with a support system that continues to make me feel connected and part of something truly amazing and change-inducing. This past week was their annual fundraising Leadership Luncheon where current students, alumni and staff told their stories and inspired many to give to the program. This speech by Niles Lichtenstein left me speechless. Coincidentally, John Osterweis, the co-Founder of Summer Search works in my building and when chatting with him in the elevator about the program he summed it up well when he said, "I can't think of a better way to spend money." Neither can I.

My adorable friend Evie is finishing up her second year at UC Hastings and in connection with her studies there, helped organize an event about femicide in Guatemala. I had no idea how prevalent violence against women is there. What's even worse is that our government gives theirs millions for their justice system, which allows these crimes to go unpunished. Although Guatemala lacks many tools for investigating crimes, there are also problems deep in the system that perpetuate these human rights violations. The fact that we're basically funding that is letting them know it's acceptable, so Evie and her group at Hastings is working to educate our local representatives so actions can be taken in Washington and hopefully make some real change.