The winter solstice is upon us — Sunday, December 22. This
On the winter solstice — the day the sun stands still — BSF's Kathryn Leigh Goetz reflects on what it means to turn inward, find stillness, and hold onto faith in the light that's always returning, even in the darkest season.

If you are eagerly looking forward to gathering with family and friends for the upcoming holidays, snuggling around the fireplace with cups of eggnog or hot chocolate, baking cookies (or frying latkes) with your kids, nieces and nephews, or basking in the love and light of the season, this blog is not for you.

What Di discovered about giving is that it’s so much more than a good feeling; giving is an act of service, a way of uplifting humanity. Giving requires that we open our heart and be willing to share from a place of vulnerability because we see a need in others that is a reflection of our own self. Giving is also a powerful way to support the people and causes we believe in and to assist them in advancing their hopes and dreams.

Eighteen months of conversations, World Cafés, and Appreciative Inquiry led to our 2020-2025 strategic plan that charts BSF's next chapter and makes youth development a core programmatic priority for the first time. Here's how our process of Discovery, Dreaming, and Designing plan together and what it means for the organization.

United Planning Organization (UPO), based in Washington D.C., are dedicated to being change agents by offering services in early education, youth, community wellness, and more to the community that surrounds them. UPO shares what happened when they brought Parent Cafés to their community — including 98% of participants saying they'd recommend it to a friend and an Early Intervention Program that liked it so much they adopted the model.

When Sara Gonzalez's youngest left for college, she worried he wasn't ready. Turns out she was the one who wasn't ready to let go. Her reflection (in English and Spanish) on social connections, friendship, and watching a shy kid find his people is warm, honest, and deeply relatable.

Everyone is recovering from something. That insight is at the heart of BSF's new Recovering Together Cafés — a peer-to-peer conversation model co-created with recovery organizations to meet people where they are and affirm that healing is possible regardless of where someone is on their journey.

I’m a big fan of affirming oneself; I believe that when we stand in our own truth, we unmask our inner greatness, our inner strength and our hidden gifts and potential. Recently, while reviewing the Be Strong Families Living the Protective Factors Affirmation Deck, I came across an affirmation card that spoke to me; it said, “Stay Open and Curious — When fear threatens, I concentrate on seeing more options and waiting for more possibilities to emerge.” It really made me reflect on the past few years, what I’ve learned and how I’ve changed.

To the slave master, the auction block was a public space for selling slaves. For the slave and their family, it was a source of fear, shame, and humiliation. There are some public places in America where slave auction blocks remain intact- a daunting reminder of an ugly past. Today, Aug. 20, we honor the memories of our African ancestors that endured the horrors of slavery, a shameful American atrocity that lasted 400 years.