Happy Birthday, Rise!
Plus, the board retreat, a Happy Mail milestone, and community care opportunities
At the end of April, the Rise Board of Directors convened in Fort Worth for our annual retreat. One evening included a meet-and-greet dinner with a viewing of Rise Woman Leah Wrenne’s virtual concert. What a joy to share the Rise House with so many wonderful women.
We are so close to having the operating budget of the house fully funded. We believe that women should have a place to rest, learn, connect, play, and create where money is not a barrier. One of the best ways you can support our work right now is by becoming a monthly contributor.
P.S. May 27th is our 11th birthday, and we’ll be having a celebratory dinner at the house! Save the date! (P.S. Reach out to Holly if you’d like to be added to the local DFW Discord channel).
We’ve hit a big milestone: 100 Happy Mail recipients! Thank you to all the volunteers who make this effort possible.
If you could use some cheer, solidarity, or celebration by way of your mailbox, use the link below to make a request. We’d be honored to show up for you.
Community Fund
We are a powerful community who actively shoulders each other’s burdens and celebrates each other’s wins. Lately that means coordinating baby formula shipments and reminding Black women that the house is available for rest & retreat (another way your monthly house donations are put to good use).
Is there a way you could use support? Please reach out! Have margin and/or resources? Follow Holly Stallcup & the Rise Twitter feed for timely opportunities to pitch in when needs arise.
The Women of Rise
We love connecting women — the very people whose thriving motivates our work. Each month, we’ll wrap up the newsletter by introducing you to some members of the Rise community.
Amanda Martínez Beck
Rise Community Member
Amanda Martinez Beck is a fat activist, author, podcaster, and body image coach. She lives in East Texas with her husband Zachary and their four kids, Lily, Brennan, Lucy, and Elizabeth. She is the host and co-founder of The Fat & Faithful podcast and her new book, More of You: The Fat Girl’s Field Guide to the Modern World publishes on May 24th!
Connect with Amanda: @AmandaMBeck
Erin Bryant Petty
Community Engagement Director
Erin is a writer and maker living in Michigan. She believes deeply that the Church should be radically inclusive—a place where each person can be their full, authentic self. She likes to be around yarn and trees as much as possible.
Connect with Erin: @ebryantpetty
Thank you for being a part of Rise. We are so glad you’re here.