I’ve gotten used to spelling out my email on calls with partners, volunteers, and foster parents because it would be reasonable for someone to assume “try” is in our name. But that’s not how we spell it because that’s not the origin of our name. Surprised? Most people are. To be honest, it never occurred to me that it might be confusing, so here’s the explanation to set the record straight.

Reflecting on our “why”—education, community, and equity—we realized we could incorporate these values into our broader mission. With this in mind, we’re excited to introduce LearnTogether, a free speaker series featuring passionate people working in equity who want to share their knowledge and experiences with all of us. What better way to embody education, community, and equity than by coming together to learn—at no charge—and be inspired.

TriTogether’s student “recruitment” process has changed a lot over the past few years, and this year is our biggest leap yet. One major change is that we’re no longer reaching out exclusively through foster care social workers. This summer, we have expanded our efforts to include school districts, nonprofit organizations serving foster youth, and other advocates of children in foster care. To be honest, we’re still figuring out which approach will work best. I hate to admit it, but we’re basically throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

At the Franklin Farmers Market last week, I was honored to answer a variety of questions about volunteering with TriTogether. What do we look for? What do we expect? But what they really wanted to know was… what am I getting myself into?

I’ve been spending a lot of time reaching out to other nonprofits, especially those involved with foster care, for their words of wisdom. One that stuck out to me? Have a blog in your own voice. So, here I am!