Dear Acknowledge Alliance family,
A new fiscal year is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on all that we have accomplished together since my last update in January.
This past year has been especially heavy for so many in our community. War, political uncertainty, discrimination, and traumatic global events have triggered stress and anxiety across the nonprofit sector. Unfortunately, as expected, the uncertainty and disruption have also impacted our school partners. Students are in need of our resilience counseling support to navigate fears around immigration, and staff are managing high levels of distress regarding fear of possible immigration enforcement raids at school. Principals and teachers have felt unsure of how to respond on both a practical and emotional level. I am so proud of our team for stepping up in the face of obstacles - sharing resources on immigrants’ rights with those who have requested them and providing much needed support to educators. This is all the more meaningful since many of our staff are managing not only educator fears, but also their own personal and community crises during these chaotic times.
We also know it is just as vital to come together as a community and celebrate our wins as it is to face troubles together. And celebrate we did on April 30, when the Acknowledge Alliance family gathered at our long-standing, annual Forget-Me-Not event. Together we learned about nurturing resilience in ourselves and young people, and honored this year’s outstanding educators and community leaders. The evening was filled with so much passion, hope and gratitude. Mike Tinoco’s keynote, “Slow Urgency: How Do We Sustain Ourselves and Work From Within Unjust Systems to Create Change,” resonated with our need to nourish hope and care for ourselves and others during challenging times. It was also such a joy to celebrate the inspiring leadership and commitment of Resilience Consultant Jean Hamilton, Principal Sebastian Benavidez III of Graham Middle School, and Superintendent Michael Gallagher of Sunnyvale School District.
Behind the scenes, we stayed committed to our work around diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) while many organizations are shying away from such initiatives. We are considering offering a BIPOC resilience group to our staff, and we are drawing insights from four years of running a staff-led Inclusion Task Force to create new initiatives that foster inclusion and a sense of belonging within the agency. In May, I held our semi-annual fireside chat with our team. These meetings have resulted in productive one-on-one discussions with team members, and a chance to foster transparency and strengthen relationships. I am consistently learning and evolving from these sessions, and I value the feedback and the opportunities for continuous improvement to the agency, programs, meetings and my own leadership style.
In May, I had the pleasure of convening with our Board of Directors for our annual Board retreat. We engaged in deep discussions about our Strategic Plan; reviewed our SWOT analysis; and spent time building and strengthening the Board’s connection to our mission and vision. We also relished the opportunity to deepen our relationships through a thought-provoking ice breaker that prompted us to name five people that we admired, along with the traits in them that earned our respect.
In June, the Board and I collaborated to recruit new members for the Board. We are currently meeting with a number of outstanding candidates and will be excited to introduce new Board members to you soon!
With the end of the school year, we bid farewell and express our heartfelt gratitude to Jean Hamilton, LMFT, who is retiring after an extraordinary 20 years serving as an Acknowledge Alliance Clinical Supervisor and Resilience Consultant. Throughout her tenure, Jean has shown unwavering compassion, empathy, expertise, and commitment. Thank you, Jean, for supporting so many educators to grow and navigate life’s challenges, which in turn has positively impacted the lives of countless students.
As we look ahead to the 2025-2026 year, I am inspired by the tenacity and determination of our community to keep building nurturing school environments where everyone feels cared for, competent and resilient. Thank you for transforming lives with us, one classroom at a time.
With gratitude,
Sharon Navarro
Executive Director
P.S. The summer is a great time to build and practice summer traditions. I cherish every moment I can spend outside. Sipping my morning coffee on the patio of a nearby cafe or having lunch in a serene park brings me joy, and I particularly look forward to the fun outdoor movie screenings and free concerts organized by various local towns during the summer. What are your favorite summer traditions? I would love to hear from you, so please let me know!