Mourning Together…Yet Honoring Milestones

Sharon Pierce is the former president and CEO of The Villages. 

Dear Friend of Children,

How very difficult it is right now to know what to say… how to say it… and how to truly convey the pain and heartache that all of us who are part of The Villages Family are experiencing during this heartbreaking time! We are mourning, together, EVERY life that has been taken in the name of racism. As racial inequities and injustices continue, tragically, in our communities and in our nation, we, at The Villages, HEAR EVERY VOICE, SEE EVERY FACE, SAY EVERY NAME, MOURN EVERY LOSS, and STAND, TOGETHER, with our staff, children, youth, families volunteers, and neighbors of color.

Since its founding in 1978, The Villages has worked, tirelessly, to erase and minimize inequities and disparities. YOU, who are always such generous partners in The Villages’ life-changing mission, help us do just that by eliminating racial barriers and maximizing opportunities to flourish! We are committed to continuing to fight racism, to use an EQUITY LENS to guide our organizational and Public Policy Work, and to be INTENTIONAL, each and every day, about eliminating racial disparities!

At the same time, we are so very fortunate, to celebrate, with nearly 80 youth, who we are honored to serve, their HIGH SCHOOL or COLLEGE GRADUATIONS! Far too many of them faced one barrier after another, many of those barriers ensconced in racism. But, together, we were determined to nurture their potential and enable them to successfully, and proudly, achieve this vital milestone in their lives.

So, as we fully commit to doing all we can to ERADICATE the injustices of racism, we also CELEBRATE the hard-earned, well-deserved successes that The Villages Class of 2020 have achieved, against long odds. We are here for EACH and EVERY ONE of you! How PROUD we are of your life-altering MILESTONE!!!

With Gratitude For Your Support,