Goodbye Video
Yesterday I started my journey from Cambodia to Oxford (via family home in NY) and I made a little video and goodbye note for the PEPY site. I thought I would re-post it here (as I sit in transit for a few more hours waiting for my final flight!)
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Today is my last day in Cambodia, at least for the time being, and I wanted to send out a THANK YOU and a GOODBYE and some LOVE to all of you for helping to create a better PEPY and a better me over the last six years. THANK YOU! I have learned SO much from working with, studying from, and following along with all of you. I already listed “20 Lessons I Learned at PEPY” but there are waaaaay more than 20. Every day I think of another – another thing I learned from one of you that has shaped this organization and will shape how I continue to live in the future.
One major lesson I have learned is that my life is better, and I am better, with PEPY in it. So, I might be heading across the world to study for a bit, but I am not “leaving” PEPY. I will still be a big supporter of this team and this work for a LONG time to come, and I hope you will be too. Check out this video to learn about a change in PEPY’s name (gasp!) and learn more about how you can join the PEPY Sustainers.
It’s not just our acronym that is changing. There have recently been and will continue to be a lot of changes at PEPY, and in this time of transition, we need the support from those of you who have built this family more than ever. We recently had a strategic planning retreat for our managers, board members, and outside consultants who all spent a week thinking REALLY hard about what PEPY’s best impacts could be in the future and what we needed to go do get there. (Read the next newsletter thoroughly for more updates, including a video from our recent planning retreat!). I am SO excited about the ideas this team put together, and I am now even more excited about our future impact than before (those of you who know me might think me having MORE passion for PEPY is impossible – but you are wrong – I do!) Take a sneak peek at our Core Values list if you want to know why I love this team so much!
I am committing to this team that I will make sure they have the support they need to reach our future goals… and I will need your help and commitment in this area as well. We’re looking to build up a team of PEPY Sustainers who are able to commit to being part of this in the long term on an ongoing basis. If you can commit to monthly funding, like $10 per month, GREAT! But it does not need to be through funding that you support us, as you know! There are always a LOT of things we need help with, such as graphic design, board membership, local events and awareness raising, and spreading the word about the educational & philanthropy travel options with PEPY Tours, etc. (For our board, we are specifically looking to replace two board positions of board members who are soon to finish up their tenure with us. We are in need of a treasurer – someone who can help oversee and monitor the monthly financial reports our CFO sends out, and also a board member to help us address governance and legal issues. Spread the word or let us know if you are interested in taking on a bigger role with PEPY!)
So, as you can see, there are many ways to help us sustain PEPY into the future. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a large number of us who have contributed to and been shaped by our experiences in Cambodia continue to commit to supporting PEPY’s growth in the future.
Come visit me in Oxford if you come through the UK in the next 12 months, or better yet, come visit this amazing team in Cambodia (I know I will be!). If you want to connect to our Cambodian team, reach out to Anna McKeon who recently became our Communications Manager and is one of two foreign staff among our 47 Cambodian staff at PEPY (+ 2 foreign interns who are committing their time to help us grow!) So, drop her a note if you want to give her a high five (she put together this fun video!), offer support, or just check in on how the PEPY team is doing. You can reach her at: contact@pepyride.org
THANK YOU for being a part of the last six years and helping to create an organization I am proud to be associated with. Watch this goodbye video and check out our PEPY Sustainers page if you are interested in joining me in my commitment to make sure PEPY continues, whether we are in Cambodia, or far away. I hope to see you all soon, and am grateful that you are part of this stone soup at PEPY which continues to get tastier each year.
So much love & thanks,
Daniela