a chapter ends
My chapter with Global Girls Give has come to a close. This is a positive thing. Two years ago, I said yes to a venture that enabled me to build a community for women and girls. Together, with so many women around the world, we developed a platform to share stories, highlight women who were changing the world in their ways, and creating someone good and organic. I dove head first into this project to show young girls that their voices mattered and their dreams could become a reality. I wanted to tell stories about women we wouldn’t know otherwise (Global Girl To Know) and while we wrapped our heads around how getting funding for scholarships worked, we started a monthly program called GiveBackxGGG. None of us knew the impact of giving back would have on our immediate community in Seattle, let alone globally.
A few team members at the GGG Retreat 2019
From left to right: Karina Patel: Co-CEO and Co-founder, Lorena Soriano, Co-CEO and Co-founder, Moji Igun: Membership Director, Nina Garcia: Human Resources Director, Shalini Dalpatadu: Mentorship Program Director, Jaqueline Fausto: Board Director, Emma Burgess: COO, Daisy Xie: Mentorship Program Manager
The same week Seattle shut down due to COVID-19, GGG had an event planned called Celebrate GGG. We had a panel stacked with phenomenal women giving back to their respective communities, and we wanted to celebrate their milestones, as well as ours. It was meant to be a celebration for all of the women who have volunteered hours towards our endeavors, honor the women who shed blood, sweat, and tears for GGG to stand out in a sea of organizations.
Unfortunately, as we entered April, we realized that we couldn’t keep GGG alive in the way we wanted for several reasons. My co-founder, Lorena Soriano, had launched her business a few months prior and was steamrolling ahead with major progress. Emma Burgess, who was at the helm of Operations, had moved from England to Scotland to Canada in a matter of weeks and was navigating a new life and a new career. With the world shutting down, finances becoming tight, and our mental capacity becoming threadbare, we decided to take a break in April. We told our team members to hit pause on projects and tasks and just learn to adjust to the new standard of isolation.
Something I’ve learned during quarantine has been understanding the nuances of my own mental health. Isolation for an extrovert (I also think I’m part introvert, despite what all the personality tests conclude) is a challenge. While the world started painting, baking, understanding how TikTok works, learning an instrument, or doing home makeovers, I was trying to keep up with my new work load. Somehow, work become even busier. I was working more than I was before, and for those unaware, it was already A LOT. Therefore, trying to be kind to myself and listen to my mind and body was important during quarantine.
April came and went. I celebrated my thirty-fifth birthday and gingerly stepped into May. The GGG team regrouped to follow up on admin items such as tax documents, Secretary of State deadlines, and funding that we had received prior to the shutdown. Let me pause here and just thank our Board Chair and Treasurer for bearing with me while I constantly texted with follow ups and questions in March and April. It was a tenuous month of learning and speculating worst-case scenarios. As May began, our team concluded that pausing our programs were in the best interest due to social distancing. Going out and cleaning parks or volunteering time was no longer an option. So, we decided to pivot and try sharing resources and continue telling stories.
Unfortunately, that idea came to a halt. For some, it was our day jobs fully taking over as we began discussing re-entry into the workplace and communicating with clients or partners. For others, it was needing to focus on new developments or untethering themselves before burnout. The reality of our team trying to burn the midnight oil was no longer. We couldn’t give the organization’s programs 110% like we used to and understanding and agreeing to this allowed us to see its future clearly. We could and would allow our community to continue, whether it was with new Community Manager, whether it was socially, or if it naturally came to an end, our version of GGG had run its course. The mentors and mentees we matched flourished in their own ways. The hours collectively spent giving back to our communities were beyond anything we had anticipated. The league of supporters that brought GGG to its fruition surpassed anything we imagined. We had nurtured this baby in every way we could, while running a full-time career. Therefore, we agreed that we would allow the community members to continuing being voices, and if someone was interested in taking the reins of the platform we built, we’d be happy to let them carve out the next version of GGG.
Earth Day Clean Up, 2019
Photo by S. Wolfe Photography
So, as of July 1, 2020, I ended my chapter as Co-CEO of Global Girls Give. I am still a mentor, I still give back to my community, I am still a champion for the next generation of women. I couldn’t have gotten here without GGG and the brilliant women behind it. I built friendships, learned from every single contributor and volunteer, and wrote a beautiful chapter in my life. GGG survives with its members celebrating milestones, sharing stories, and giving back through their businesses and side hustles.
I thank Lorena for trusting me with her idea. I thank all of our earnest Directors who taught me so much. I am forever grateful to our Board for believing in us. I thank every single volunteer and supporter for allowing me and GGG into your life. I thank my family and friends for carrying me through the journey. Every conversation, every event, taught me how to become a kinder, better human.
GGG still lives as an online community, differently than before. This is just a chapter in a book coming to an end, not the end of the book. My soul is still connected to GGG, just in a different way. Please reach out to me if you have questions, want to support GGG with its next chapters, or just want to chat. I’m here. Always. x