ALUMNAE COUNCIL P R E S I D E N T L E TT E R Dear Holy Child Alumnae, As I start to write this letter, I realize how much I need to thank our alumnae community. So, as you read this, please consider this a thank you letter more than an update, and accept my deepest gratitude for so many of you who have shown support to the school and the rest of our alum network these past several months. When you saw my last letter in winter 2020, we had hopes for an exciting and promising year ahead. Little did we know that a global pandemic was brewing, about to throw everything off course. In March, Holy Child moved to e-learning and all in-person activities were cancelled for the foreseeable future. We had to postpone our Alumnae Weekend to next spring 2021. But the school got creative! Holy Child had several online events – like our BINGO game nights, that have been met with lots of excitement. In a time when life outside our homes has been scary and uncertain, it is important to keep up a sense of normalcy through virtual happenings. I know many reading this have been directly affected by COVID-19. I want to give a huge thank you to all our Holy Child alumnae first responders and essential workers – doctors, nurses, physician assistants, medical care givers, hospital workers, and so many others. I am so proud of the work our alums are doing, especially now. We have so many alumnae who are teachers who have had a tremendously difficult job teaching during this pandemic. Thank you! It has been beautiful to see so many alumnae encouraging their fellow classmates. As we moved into summer 2020, our alums came together again in support of Black Lives Matter. An entire movement for racial and social equality was started at Holy Child by fellow alumna Tahana Augustin '16. I want to thank each and every alum who spoke up and shared their personal experiences with the Holy Child community. Thank you for your bravery, for sharing your truth, and for using your voice to make a difference. While there is still so much work to be done to create lasting change at Holy Child, it has been incredibly inspiring to see so many alums step up and actively work with the school. The Alumnae Council has formed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee which will have members who are a larger part of the Holy Child Community Diversity Steering Committee. Please be on the lookout for future events and ways to support in the coming months. We are very excited and have been brainstorming better ways to connect with ALL our alums. When we started the Alumnae Council a few years back, our goal was to create a greater Holy Child alumnae network. In order to make it the best it can be, we need to show Christlike love and support to every student who has walked through Holy Child’s doors. I am a huge believer in learning from others’ experiences and I know we can learn so much from our BIPOC and LGBTQIA alums. I am hopeful that going forward we can have many alums come back and share their experiences with other alums and current students so that no one feels alone. I hope you all will work with me and the rest of our alumae community to make our network great. I’ll continue to pray for you all and hope everyone stays safe and healthy! God bless you and yours, and best wishes for a lovely fall. Sincerely, Lauren Phifer Robinson, 2008 Alumnae Council President
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