Raising Hope
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
JUNE/JULY 2017 JUNE/JULY Raising Hope magazine Caring for Table of Contents 4 16 your family, www.ggmg.org Letter from the Editor: Volunteering for Hope Towards a Bright Future Invest in the future The many shapes hope can take Shaheen Bilgrami BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kirsten Pfleger your home Chair Cathy Tran 20 Vice Chair Sasha Fahimi Secretary Kaitlin Kertsman 5 Instilling Hope in Children Ensure that hope springs eternal Treasurer Kristen McGuire Letter from the Board: Tara Hardesty and the Community Support Corinna Lu Reaffirming the Goals of External Communications Addie Bjornsen Diversity and Inclusion Internal Communications Virginia Green Ensuring that GGMG is a welcoming space 24 Kids Events Emily Jenks for all What Every Woman Should Member Engagement Karen Brein environment Cathy Tran Know About Postpartum Operations Laura Kim Parent Education Rebecca Andersen Depression Let's get real about PPD Partnerships Shikha Goyal-Allain 6 Technology Sarah Soto Out and About Juli Fraga present this ad for Fourth of July Call 415-681-5172 or book online Stephanie AuWerter 39 OFF COMMITTEES Website: www.healthychoiceSF.com your next visit Li’l Kid, Big City: Russian Hill ♥ $25*offer expires on August 31, 2017 I Mom: Stephanie AuWerter Careers and Entrepreneurs Operations Reflections on Election Day Community Support Parent Education Fruit Picking The politics and public service of Diversity & Inclusion Partnerships Catherine Symon motherhood Just for Moms Playgroups Jennifer Kuhr Butterfoss Kids Activities PR/Marketing Magazine Recruiting 8 Membership Social Events Ask the Expert: Web Team Hope and Smiles GGMG at Work SF Smiles brightens the lives of local families 4 Housekeeping MAGAZINE Chad M. Christensen Editor-in-Chief Kirsten Pfleger 9 Managing Editor Sonya Abrams 10 Drives & Contest Senior Editor Megan Bushnell Dadlands: Raising an Optimist San Francisco | Marin | Wine Country Art Director JoJo Rhee Chevalier Dad’s allegiance to the Cubs is a life lesson 15 in positive thinking New Arrivals & Volunteer of the Month Writers Stephanie AuWerter, Shaheen Bilgrami, Jennifer Butterfoss, Tara Hardesty, Laure Latham, Matthew Gubiotti Catherine Symon 32 Life begins at home. GGMG Events Copy Editors Sarah Brandstetter, Emily deGrassi, Anna Gracia, Arwen Griffith, Neha Masson, Jenny Shaw, Sandy Woo 12 With over 30 years of combined experience, the Costa Group is a top-producing Real Estate Books for Kids: 34 Advertising Sherri Howe Committee Updates team ranked in the top 1% of San Francisco area Realtors. Designers Juliana Egley, Jessica Franklin, Positivity in the Making Lani Schreibstein, Lora Tomova Inspiration for a better world From Noe Valley, to Mill Valley to Napa Valley, experience our extraordinary service, Photographers Jill Baker, Petra Cross, Laure Latham involvement and concern for you & your lifestyle. Your Home Awaits. Anna Psalmond, Aviva Roller 14 Franck Costa & Sara Werner Costa For information regarding how to advertise in this magazine, From Womb to World: contact [email protected]. 415.730.2604 For questions or comments regarding magazine content, Surviving the Newborn Phase [email protected] | TheCostaGroup.com contact [email protected]. How to thrive in the fourth trimester BRE#01853603 | BRE#01772972 For questions or comments regarding all other aspects of GGMG, Neha Mandal Masson including how to advertise an event to our membership, Cover Photo by Petra Cross Photography please contact [email protected]. Costa_GGMG_2017ad.indd 1 4/19/17 11:28 AM Letter from the Editor: Letter from the Board: Towards a Bright Future Reaffirming the Goals of Diversity and Inclusion By Kirsten Pfleger By Cathy Tran n the fall of 2011, I had women, and was honored to count myself as one of them. During t the end of 2016, which doesn’t feel that long ago, the anonymous race-related foot surgery. It was my time on the magazine, nearly the entire team has turned over board met for a planning retreat to talk about our goals posts will be temporarily supposed to be a quick and every time we bring on a new person, I am amazed by the for 2017. One of those goals was to build up the Diversity suspended until the board, Iprocedure followed by six skills and enthusiasm that GGMG members bring to this labor of Aand Inclusion Committee in making GGMG a diverse and inclusive webteam, and members of weeks of partial weight love. Over the past five and a half years, I have held a variety of community for all. the Diversity and Inclusion bearing. Except that things positions on the magazine, culminating in being the editor-in- I know that recent events on our online forums have been Committee receive training didn’t go quite as planned: chief for the past three years. It has been an amazing journey and difficult for members. I want to reassure you that we are deeply on race-related matters and instead, I was non-weight I have learned so much—about putting together a magazine, committed to making all members feel welcome and represented revise the forum guidelines bearing for almost two about managing dedicated volunteers, and about myself. It is, in GGMG. When we created the board of directors, we sought to as needed. We have set a Teresa O’Brien Photography Teresa months. With a five-month- however, time for me to move on. This issue will be my last as the assemble a diverse group of women who see the value of a deadline of August 1 by After over five years on the magazine staff, Kirsten old. Living in a third floor editor of the magazine. I will hand the reins to Sonya Abrams, diverse community and who would commit to making GGMG a which we plan to complete Cathy Tran is mom to two boys, Charlie and James, is looking forward to her next adventures in walk-up. Our only car a stick who has been an integral part of the staff for four years. I have the welcoming and safe space for each and every member. I myself these steps or provide an and wife to a supportive husband, Peter. She is the parenting, her profession, and life in general. shift. Although my husband utmost confidence that she, along with an editorial team that grew up extremely poor, and while I feel grateful every day to no updated timeline of co-host of the parenting podcast The MomVent. She enjoys dinners out with friends, nights in watching and parents were includes senior staff members Megan Bushnell, JoJo Rhee longer be in that situation, I remember well the stress and anxiety completion. Bravo, and finding the best breakfast burrito in SF. wonderfully supportive, I was basically homebound and unable Chevalier, and Jenny Shaw, will take the magazine to new that come with financial insecurity. I am also a person of color, Please keep in mind that to carry my child. I felt lost and disconnected from the world. heights. and whenever I hear that a minority member feels unwelcome in any non-anonymous posts appear on the forums immediately Then I saw that the GGMG magazine was looking for someone to I love that my last issue as editor is about looking toward a and do not require approval by a moderator. If you ever feel a brighter future—how to instill hope (page 20) and resilience (page I want to reassure you that our entire post is inappropriate or inflammatory, please bring it to our It has been an amazing journey and I have 10) in our children, moving forward in the face of an unexpected attention by flagging it or emailing [email protected] so it can outcome (page 39), enjoying those magical, but really hard, first board is deeply committed to making all be reviewed by members of both the webteam and the Diversity learned so much—about putting together months with a new baby (page 14), how to find the magic if your members feel welcome and represented and Inclusion Committee. a magazine, about managing dedicated world has turned dark with depression (page 24), and what in GGMG. The board is also in the process of drafting our annual all- volunteers, and about myself. worked for me five years ago, volunteering (page 16). member survey, which will include questions on whether Although you won’t see me in the magazine anymore, I will still GGMG, it breaks my heart. To any of our members who have ever members want to allow anonymous posts related to race and fact-check their calendar. I had found a way to be productive be around. I look forward to running into many of you around the felt like they did not belong: I hear you, I have been in your shoes, ethnicity on the forums. Your opinion matters to us; please take sitting on the couch with my foot in the air. city as we all continue to muddle our way through parenthood. and the board and I are working to build a community where you the survey when you receive it! Eventually, my mobility improved and I was able to meet the feel welcome and represented. This work will take time, but we We want GGMG to be a safe, welcoming space for all of our rest of the volunteers who brought the GGMG magazine to life now have an amazing Diversity and Inclusion Committee that is members. We welcome any and all feedback. Questions can be every month. I was impressed by the talented, dynamic group of working hard on many initiatives. directed to the board ([email protected]) or the Diversity and To that end, I want to remind members that the approval of any Inclusion Committee ([email protected]). Cover Outtakes Housekeeping Opinions expressed in this issue are those of the contributors.