Dear Valued Partners,
These past months have been extremely challenging for many of us here in Southern California. Wildfires have upended thousands of people’s lives and destroyed whole communities. Service providers, including many of you, have rallied to help people in the immediate aftermath of this devastation. At the same time, many of these same people and partners have faced a barrage of funding freezes, job cuts, deportation actions, and attacks on DEI.
At Archstone Foundation, we want to take this moment to clearly and unequivocally reaffirm our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion for older adults, their caregivers, families, communities, our state, and nation. Justice means ensuring fairness and addressing systemic barriers to quality care; equity involves providing resources and opportunities based on individual needs; diversity embraces the full spectrum of identities and experiences; and inclusion means fostering an environment where everyone is valued, heard, and empowered. We believe a clear focus on marginalized populations is the best way to close the persistent gaps in health disparities and improve health for all.
These fundamental values continue to guide our mission, shape our partnerships, and drive our collaborative efforts to foster meaningful change in the communities we serve.
This work is good for all of us. Promoting person- and family-centered care, respecting individual preferences, needs, and values; and ensuring easier access to preventive services, chronic disease management, and social supports—all of these strategies promote better outcomes for everyone.
We remain dedicated to ensuring that all older adults and their caregivers receive equitable, coordinated care that supports their health and well-being. I invite you to read more about why this commitment is deeply personal to me in a post I wrote, Standing Firm in Our Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
We are closely monitoring developments as they unfold. We recognize that our grant support could never begin to replace the federal dollars spent on health and social services that provide critically needed health care and food for millions of Californians. Still, this is an important moment to take action.
We are reaching out to our grantees and partners to assess their needs, share insights, and strategize on the best path forward. Our commitment to you, to our partnerships, and to serving and supporting older Californians most affected by these actions has not wavered.
I’m working closely with our Board and staff to take the feedback we’re hearing and put forward opportunities for collective action. We urge you to do the same within your organizations and communities. In particular, we invite our partners in philanthropy to join with us to ensure that the voices of marginalized communities are heard and that we continue to work together to design solutions and build strong, resilient systems of care that work for all people.
At Archstone Foundation, this is a long-term commitment. At the same time, we are developing key rapid response activities to meet the moment and support the older adult serving organizations that are so important to our communities.
We deeply value your dedication to this vital work. We are grateful for your continued collaboration. Together, we will navigate these challenging times and ensure that our shared values remain a cornerstone of our collective efforts to advance health equity and justice for older Californians and their caregivers.
With appreciation & solidarity,
Rigo J. Saborio
President and CEO
