Gratitude for our Partners and their Stories

Guest Post: Jason Lacsamana, Director, Programs and Partnerships

Looking back over the last 10 years, I’m proud of our accomplishments at St. Joseph Fund. But beyond the grants and resources we invested in the community, I think about the impact we’re making and the relationships we’re building.

I am grateful for the amazing, passionate, inspirational people committed to their communities that I’ve met. I have learned from them and shared mutual respect, friendship, and admiration.

SJF has evolved in 10 years, not just in terms of our strategies, but also in the transformative impact we’ve had on communities. Our community-centered approach, which focuses on building together rather than transacting, has allowed us to work towards the much-needed transformational change with long-range impacts.

Since I joined the SJF team, our initiatives have significantly evolved. The first two grants I led were part of the Community Building Initiative. CBI is rooted in authentic partnerships and co-designed with community members themselves, as opposed to SJF going over the top and applying a logic model. This was the beginning of our philosophy to lean on the lived experience of community leaders and residents to inform strategies for change.

I was also lucky to form a close partnership with the team at the Prevention Institute through the Intersections Initiative. Intersections took a long-range approach to building capacity across collaboratives that work to build power, reduce and prevent trauma in communities, and move towards anti-displacement in and around the West Coast. CBI and Intersections laid the foundation for my work and have driven me toward the future.

We’ve applied lessons from CBI and Intersections as we design our recent initiatives. Healing Tides: NHPI Leadership + Renewal Initiative examines how necessary community healing is and how we can use healing models to strengthen and build power and capacity.

The success of our work is a testament to the power of collaboration. I’ve had the privilege of working under Gabby’s tremendous leadership, whose trust, support, and faith have allowed me to grow professionally and personally. Partnering with SJF’s Program Officer, Amy, to design initiatives has challenged me to grow. I like the saying, “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.” This encompasses who we are at SJF and who our community partners are, too.

I am filled with anticipation for the future of our communities. I appreciate the opportunity to tell our stories because, at the end of the day, we’re not just here to do the work; we are here to share the lessons and stories of the community and our partners. I’m grateful to be woven into their stories, and because of that, they’re my stories, too.