It's that time of year again where reflection becomes necessary.... TL;DR: we're hoping to get more out of our collective and learn more about this platform in 2024 because as of January 31, I'll be officially transitioning out of my full-time role at another disability-focused organization to work on moving Cerebral Palsy Strong forward...

2023 was a year that fell short of what I hoped to achieve with fundraising and growing our supporter base. It fell short because I overcommitted myself and didn't ask for support from those who have offered in the past. We primarily used this platform to cover annual administrative expenses — website maintenance, etc. and those are important things but our goal in the coming year remains focused on raising money to host more events for the CP community. 

I faced a lot of personal and professional challenges in the last half of the year which tested my resilience, physically, mentally, and emotionally in the best way. These challenges allowed me to understand where my priorities lie and helped me recognize what matters. I aim to serve my peers and I've taken steps in 2023 to enable myself to do so without friction and distraction; coupled with more confidence, and the support of some key stakeholders. 

I'm anxious and excited to commit myself fully to this work because it's still so personally important to me and my peers. I think this platform can do a lot of good for us in terms of growth and will allow us to focus on what's important — coming together. 

I have a lot of learning to do and connections to re-establish, but I believe that 2024 will be a year of discovery and self-actualization for CPstrong — to realize the powerful potential this community organization has and the impact we want to have on this world. 

I hope you'll stick with me. Happy holidays and may you have a healthy, happy start to the New Year. 

Katy