Dear friends, donors, and supporters,
This month we are closing out our tenth year as an organization! Over the past decade we have seen the world go through profound shifts and we have navigated seasons of joy and challenge—still our mission remains the same: to prevent the effects of poverty through economic empowerment.
11 years ago this month, we started an organization with a vision that ordinary people and communities here in the U.S. could come alongside families and communities experiencing extreme poverty around the world and work together towards sustainable solutions.
And it happened.
We fell deeply in love with two communities in East Africa and we stewarded their stories—you believed in the potential of these families and you gave money and time and friendship. Our organization grew and sustained and was carried forward not because of me, but because of you. It was an authentic manifestation of the picture behind our name—we came together Under the Same Tree and planted the seeds of a vision.
Today, 10+ years later, we are seeing the results of that planting. Kids who would have never otherwise been in school are graduating. Moms who were working so hard to feed their babies have seen them grow. We made it across the chasm of a pandemic—together. And now as global food prices are surging and drought and heat levels are rising, the communities we serve are asking—what do we do?
How do we extend the mission to more families in East Africa? How do we sustain in the future? How do we continue to tell the stories that are awakening the hearts of our brothers and sisters in Saint Louis and beyond?
It was time to cast a vision for the future.
Any mission that sustains and withstands with longevity plans for the future. Our mission has never been dependent upon one single person, but a collective vision. I am humbled and grateful to be in the position to have the ability to pass the torch to the next leader of Under the Same Tree.
I could not be more excited and encouraged to mark the start of a new chapter for the organization we have built, with longevity for the future. I’m confident in the vision and capability of our next leader as we step towards the future, excited to play a supporting role in where we go from here. For over 5 years, Amber has been an incredible support to UTST, from donor to traveler, board member to now director—she’s an excellent match to lead us forward.
We have so much to look forward to. In the coming months, you will see new stories and old faces, new vision born from old dreams. Turns out we are still being drawn Under the Same Tree.
—Kaitlyn Gresham, Founder
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