Hi Everyone,

Week 4 at Huckleberry House has been filled with so exciting developments, the most anticipated being the arrival of our new Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Sharma. Over the past few weeks, we’ve all been preparing for Jennifer’s arrival (and the reception held in her honor), so it’s great to finally have her here with us.

Also, in my humble opinion, I think the reception went very well! I know I personally really enjoyed speaking with some of the board members and community stakeholders who attended. (It’s always so fun to learn about the various ways people are connected to, or impacted by, a nonprofit like Huck House, which has had a long-standing and meaningful impact on the community.)

This week was also the release of Giving USA 2025: The Annual Report on Philanthropy, the most comprehensive and longest-running analysis of charitable giving in the United States. To learn about the report’s findings, the Advancement Team and I attended The Columbus Foundation’s Giving USA 2025 event. I’m happy to report that the report’s findings was quite positive, with total giving in 2024 increasing by 6.3% in current dollars and seven out of the nine sectors tracked experiencing growth even when adjusted for inflation. I and others found this news particularly encouraging, especially given what has been a financially challenging first half of 2025 for many nonprofits nationwide.

Lastly, amid all these developments, I made major headway on reaching out to our current Safe Place partners. While I still have many calls and emails to send, it’s so far been rewarding to connect with current partners and express our appreciation for their collaboration in helping youth in crisis.

Until next week,
Emoni