2017 End of Year State of the Union Letter

8th of November, 2017

Dear GLN Friends,

I have never been prouder and more inspired by our Network of Givers as the past two weeks. As you know, we faced a tremendous challenge recently when our property manager announced surprise renovation plans and gave us less than ten days to move our office and the 45 language classes on-site, directly-affecting over 600 students, teachers, and volunteers out of our 1,000 individual-strong semester (our biggest semester in GLN history).
 
We are incredibly grateful to announce that after a very trying, yet exhilarating, two weeks, we have secured two new, exciting locations right next to the Dupont metro. Our main office will be at the site of a current partner, CIUS, and we will have another office at the Dupont WeWork. Additionally, we persuaded the property management at our current location to honor our contract, allowing our classes to continue on-site through the end of November. For classes needing make-up sessions after December 1, we still need space, so send us any ideas or leads. We will be in touch with classes on an individual basis concerning relocation. 
 
It’s no wonder that the Chinese words for ‘crisis’ and ‘opportunity’ are related, and it’s no coincidence that the same Hebrew word for ‘experience’ also means a ‘test’; both sourced from the same root word ‘miracle’. When we face our biggest challenges, tests, and crises head-on, with a smile and a positive attitude, we’re bound to see miracles, opportunities, and gain life-changing experience. Over the past couple weeks at GLN, we turned our biggest recent challenge into an opportunity. We came together, and we saw nothing short of miracles. Two weeks ago I did not know how exactly we would solve this, but I was confident that we would solve it and come out even stronger and greater than ever, as an organization, as a community, and as individuals. I am confident that we passed this test and that GLN and our tight-knit community is stronger and more resilient than ever, giving us a lot to be thankful for.
 
On behalf of GLN, I wish to thank you and our entire network of amazing volunteers, teachers, partners, and students like you who showed enthusiastic and empathetic support, reaching out to us and many others in an effort to connect us to new opportunities. The entire staff was very moved and inspired to see so much kindness, helpfulness, and overall dedication to our shared mission of “using language as a tool to help fix our world.” Above all, I would like to personally thank Bailey Wiles, our fantastic Program Coordinator, our Board of Directors–Charles Maslin, Richard Sawaya, Ilya Budik, and Benn Cann, and our dedicated team of interns and Leadership Fellows, especially Kyhl Stephen, Sofia Guglielmone, Jacki Schilles, Jess Anderson, Jessa Yount, Caitlyn Mignini, and Sam Gaspar for their tireless efforts, positive attitude, and trust in GLN leadership to guide us in the dark and lead us to the light.
 

We’re so proud to say that this semester we have offered more classes to more students than ever before (70 classes to 830 students), and we want to keep the momentum going! For that, we need more partner organizations. Hosting a class is a great way to give back to the community, but it’s also a great way to strengthen the community within your organization. Bring your staff together for a truly transformative experience, and then watch as they use their new language tools to change the world. For more information, check out our partner page. 

We know that this semester has been full of surprises, and we are truly appreciative of the support we have received from all over the country. Let us know how we can help in return: do you have questions, comments, concerns? Send your feedback to Info@TheGLN.org. 

Thank you for being a part of the GLN family,

Looking forward to a bright future together with you, our amazing Network of Givers.
 
Andrew Brown
Founder and Executive Director
President and Chairman of the Board
The Global Language Network ®
 
 
PS – Believe it or not, we managed to put together a grant application amidst the chaos. Please share on social media and ask your friends and family to join you in voting for GLN in the Local Impact competition by TechSoup.

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