HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP202100014 Correspondence 2021-09-29 (20)From: Anna Long <annalong095@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2021 8:52 PM
To: Mariah Gleason
Subject: Reclaimed Hope Initiative Special Use Permit
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed
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Hi Mariah,
I apologize in advance for the wordy email. To briefly summarize what I expand upon below, RHI and the
services they provide are an invaluable resource to any community. I currently drive thirty minutes to
support groups and would easily drive further to access their services. The value Bettina and her family
have added to my life and others should be celebrated and made space for in any neighborhood wise
enough to welcome them.
More detail-
My wife and I (foster parents of one 5yo boy) have been going to RHI support groups for several months
now. We have been foster parents for nine months and the journey has been hard. In the midst of
COVID, we struggled with feeling isolated and overwhelmed as new parents. As LGBT parents, we
struggled with finding camaraderie and understanding about the homophobia we have faced. And as
parents of a kiddo who has experienced trauma, we felt like the other parents in our circle didn’t
understand the daily challenges of the behaviors we saw and nuances of parenting in the foster care
system.
RHI has filled our bucket in all of those ways. We have tried other support groups, but Bettina creates
such a uniquely welcoming environment where people can cry and laugh together and feel safe to
share. We missed the boat on Camp Hope this summer but are definitely planning to have our kiddo as a
camper next summer. RHI is such an invaluable addition to our family. The people there give our family
resilience and hope and I cannot imagine a more valuable addition to a community. I would bend over
backwards just to be neighbors with Bettina and her family. They are the kind of neighbors who pour
their hearts out for their community and give everyone adjacent to them strength. Not only that but
Bettina runs her programs so expertly it seems like she has decades of project management experience.
That is much easier said than done with the population of kiddos she works with. I don’t doubt that any
program they run on their new property will be a well-oiled machine and respectfully within the
confines of whatever permit they are granted.
All this being said, I am a firm believer that we as a community need to be deliberate about the culture
we are creating. RHI is the type of organization that fosters healing through relationship, love, service,
forgiveness, and acceptance. If there is any organization we should be pouring resources into to shape
and grow the wholesome values of our community, it is RHI.
Thank you,
Anna