Yes Day
Today, I'm sitting in my Pink Chair with a full heart.
Yesterday was the day I finally got to do something that I wait for all year long. After weeks of reading applications, interviews, and carrying the emotional weight of the selection process, I got to call the girls and say the words that change everything:
“Welcome to the Class of 2030.”
It is, without question, my absolute favorite day of the year.
Because you can actually see someone’s life change before your eyes.
When I call, most of them think I’m reaching out to ask a few more questions before I make my final decision. They answer carefully, politely, trying so hard to sound confident and composed. You can hear the nerves underneath their voice. They’re bracing themselves.
And then I get to surprise them.
There are always a few seconds of silence. The kind where you can almost hear their brain trying to catch up to what their heart just felt.
And then it comes.
“Wait… are you kidding?” “Are you serious?” “Is this really happening?”
And then the happy tears.
One girl was so overcome with excitement that she knocked her glasses right off her face on Zoom. We both just fell apart in the best way. It was the kind of laugh that only happens when joy catches you completely off guard.
And then there was another girl. Earlier in our chat, before she had any idea what was coming, I asked her what it would mean to be part of this program. She got quiet for a moment. And then she said, “You know, at home… no one notices me. No one checks in on me. I want that family.”
I just sat with that for a second. Because that’s exactly why this exists.
In that moment, I was reminded of what these girls are really hearing when I make that call. It’s not just that they’ve been selected into a program. It’s that they’re not doing this alone anymore.
Someone sees them.
Someone believes in them.
Someone is going to walk with them.
This is the day that reminds me most of why we do this work.
Because hope changes people.
Hope gives a girl permission to imagine more. To keep going. To believe that her future can be different than what she has known. And when hope is paired with real support, mentorship, and community, she starts to become who she was always meant to be.
And I just want you to know, when I see those tears and those stunned little laughs on the other end of the Zoom, I think of you. Because you are the reason I get to make those calls. You are the reason the answer becomes yes.
I cannot wait for you to meet them (and watch their reactions!). They are amazing, and I already know you’re going to love them.
Thank you for making this day possible.
With so much gratitude,
Ginny
