Support GLIDE

Author: Tri Nguyen

Much has been in the news about the fentanyl epidemic, its impact on our city and the most recent efforts underway to disrupt the distribution, sales and use of fentanyl in San Francisco with a focus on our Tenderloin neighborhood. For 60 years, GLIDE has served the people of the Tenderloin and we are acutely aware of the devastating impact fentanyl has had in our neighborhood and in our city. GLIDE has a vested interest in the safety and wellbeing of all people living and working in the Tenderloin and shares in our community’s desire for increased safety, health, equity, and justice for all.

 

Because of GLIDE’s proximity to the people and communities we serve, we know first-hand that increased law enforcement presence is not an effective, long-term, sustainable solution to address the crisis on our streets. We have been here before and have witnessed the direct, inequitable, and destabilizing impact criminalizing drugs has had on our community. Make no mistake, the fentanyl crisis is jeopardizing the health and safety of our community; this is a public health crisis, and we must treat it as such. 

“We stand ready to work shoulder to shoulder with our elected officials to manifest real, lasting change in our neighborhood and create a safe, healthy, and equitable Tenderloin – and San Francisco – for all. “

Reaching our collective goal of a safer Tenderloin for all requires deep investments in strategies that address the root causes and daily symptoms of poverty, inequity, and institutionalized racism manifesting on our streets today. We encourage our elected officials to focus state and local resources on curbing the influx of fentanyl into San Francisco at the highest level and   prioritize critical investments in strategies that increase equitable access to mental health care, harm reduction and substance use treatment, supportive housing, food security and economic opportunity. We must come together and commit to deepening our understanding of the root causes of poverty and despair and make a collective commitment to transforming the systems and policies that both created and perpetuate this crisis in our beloved city.  

“We encourage our elected officials to focus state and local resources on curbing the influx of fentanyl into San Francisco at the highest level and   prioritize critical investments in strategies that increase equitable access to mental health care, harm reduction and substance use treatment, supportive housing, food security and economic opportunity.”

GLIDE’s mission is to create a just and loving community mobilized to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty. Through our innovative programs and services, we support people to gain greater stability for themselves, their families, and their communities. We advocate for and win policy and legislative changes that secure investments for, protect the rights of, and increase access to resources for our clients and community. We stand ready to work shoulder to shoulder with our elected officials to manifest real, lasting change in our neighborhood and create a safe, healthy, and equitable Tenderloin – and San Francisco – for all. 

 

In solidarity, 
GLIDE Leadership   

On May 2, Holly Joshi and Eleana Binder from the Center for Social Justice and Amber Sheldon from the Harm Reduction team went to Sacramento along with UCSF doctors and residents to advocate for continued and expanded funding to prevent overdoses, increase access to drug treatment options, and interrupt the spread of STI and viral hepatitis. 

 

 

 

The team met with the health policy consultants for the Assembly and Senate Budget Committees, as well as the policy consultant for Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, to advocate for $61 million (over the next four years) for statewide overdose prevention and harm reduction programs including staff costs, delivery of naloxone (Narcan), fentanyl test strips, overdose prevention, and drug treatment provision and navigation and $15 million (over three years) to strengthen the capacity to prevent, test, and treat for hepatitis C in marginalized communities.

Together, GLIDE and UCSF made the powerful case for investments in harm reduction programs. UCSF doctors discussed their experiences working with patients who have overdosed and experienced delays in receiving naloxone. Many of these patients arrive to hospitals with critical health issues, that require expensive, long-term medical care. These health crisis can be avoided. Implementation of best practices harm reduction programs that put resources and tools in the hands of community-based organizations and peer-led interveners have shown to be successful at reversing overdoses and saving lives.

These budget proposals were developed by the End the Epidemics Coalition, of which GLIDE is a member. Advocates from across the state will gather for a Day of Action in Sacramento on May 15 to urge the Legislature to include these requests in the final budget. The Legislature must pass a balanced budget by June 15, and a final budget should be announced by June 30.

GLIDE has been and will continue to be on the frontlines advocating for community health, safety, and equity. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

A Note from Malcolm Walter: Support Cecil Williams Fund for the Hungry

Here at GLIDE, we believe in food for all – no exceptions and no exclusions. Because nutrition is a necessity, not a luxury – and in the wealthiest society on the face of the earth, no one should go hungry.

Unfortunately, growing income inequality and rapidly rising food costs mean that food insecurity now affects one in four people in San Francisco.Many working-class households are facing difficult choices every month between food, housing, and medicine.

Our Daily Free Meals program – which originally started as a volunteer-run, community potluck serving 50 people – now supports our community with more than 10,000 nutritious, culturally-appropriate meals per week, in an environment where ALL can eat with dignity.

I’m writing today to ask you to chip in with a gift to our 2023 Cecil Williams Fund for the Hungry and support our meals program – and thanks to a total of $75,000 of generous matching grants from SoMa Equity Partners and an anonymous donor, your gift to alleviate hunger will be DOUBLED. Can you give today?

GLIDE’s Daily Free Meals program has always been one of the highest expressions of our mission of building empathy, transforming lives, and being radically inclusive. We work closely in local partnerships to extend our reach and advocate for the needy in our society, and we’re blessed with a strong volunteer base to support our work in this time of enormous need.

Landon To, super-volunteer, who raised $500 to support meals distribution at GLIDEOne of those volunteers whose story crossed my desk a few weeks back is Landon To, a 14-year-old whose mom Dina first brought him to volunteer at GLIDE back in 2017. Landon quickly became aware of the disparities facing our society, and upon starting high school, Landon helped establish a chapter of “The Lunchmakers” that’s raised more than $500 in grants and donations — and now provides about 350-400 lunches a month in two biweekly visits to GLIDE.

Landon’s is an exceptional story – but when we ALL pitch in to alleviate hunger, the results can be amazing. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to GLIDE for a visit, for a service or to volunteer … but what you’ll find is a radically inclusive and loving community of staff and volunteers, nourishing the bodies and souls of all in need with nutritious meals served in an atmosphere of love and respect.

Today is the day we ask for your financial support of this community – and thanks to our matching grant donors, your gift to the Cecil Williams 2023 Fund for the Hungry will go twice as far this year. So please give as generously as you can to help your neighbors in need.

 

Thank you for your compassion and generosity,

Malcolm Walter
Interim CEO and Proud GLIDE Supporter

To my beloved brothers and sisters of the GLIDE community, 

I have made a decision to formally step down from my role at GLIDE. I want all of you to know that I will always remain connected even as I take this precious time to focus on my family and my health, things that at this stage of life are so very important to me. 

As I make this transition, I want to share with you a prolific and powerful part of the process created by Janice and myself as we navigated GLIDE the last fifty years. We call it the “Wisdom Table.” It is the place where Janice and I discussed, debated, strategized, envisioned, created and gave birth to the experience that is GLIDE. It is the ground from where we birthed the movement and expressed the Love that is the foundation of GLIDE. The wisdom table gave us the courage and the resilience to love. Moment by moment, year by year we walked and talked it, and we cultivated this wisdom of love and liberation.  

The essence of GLIDE begins and ends with love. Love is the legacy. It is the highest truth, and the foundation on which GLIDE was built. It leads to liberation, justice and freedom. It is radical and revolutionary, rooted in our commitment to persistent struggle. Love is creating community, inviting all to the table, strangers uniting, never giving up, enduring and thriving. Love is the bottom line and the top line, the answer to all things, the medicine. Some have accused me of speaking of love too much, but it will never be enough. Love liberates all of us.

It matters how we treat each other.  We must invite all to have a seat at the Wisdom Table. What a power! To shout out, to rejoice and be the voice of the voiceless, the voice of the community, to confront the world and make room for the disenfranchised and marginalized. In moments of triumph and tragedy, injustice and liberation, victory and defeat. The Wisdom Table has served as a catalyst for action and radical change.

It is time for me to evolve, it is time for GLIDE to continue to evolve. We have gone through so much and come out strong, ready to keep building. My beloved and brilliant Janice is gone. Karen has carried the torch for us and ensured our legacy at GLIDE endures.

I will continue to stand in the midst of the people and say, “we didn’t give up!” We said to the world, “love is here now” and it is time to act. I will be here for you when you need me. And I believe in you and the liberation of humanity (the people).  We must all continue to work in unity, and lead with love. That is the legacy – love is present, it is real, we must continue to speak the truth, live the truth and feel the truth! 

What a day, what a life! 


With love,
Cecil 

Dear Friends,

Serving as the President & CEO of GLIDE for almost six years has been the honor of a lifetime. I have had the great fortune of befriending Janice Mirikitani and Rev. Cecil Williams, and of participating in the incredible force of change that is GLIDE. I have met people across the GLIDE community who I will always know and love. I am so proud to have built upon Jan and Cecil’s legacy, always guided by unconditional love and radical inclusion. It is therefore with great emotion to share with you that I will be leaving my position in early 2023.

Over the last six years, GLIDE has consistently been called to meet new challenges and to step up to increasing needs. We developed an ambitious five-year strategic plan – GLIDE Forward – that allows us to reach more people and to deepen our impact as we fight systemic injustices, create pathways out of crisis and poverty, and empower individuals, families, and children to achieve stability and thrive. We launched a new chapter of GLIDE that is independent and free of the United Methodist Church, clearing the path for the progress we’ve made in building a truly inclusive organization. We built the Center for Social Justice to lead transformational change of policies, systems and people. And we launched the Center for Applied Learning and Impact to bring new rigor and effectiveness to our programs. Throughout the COVID pandemic, our incredible staff remained resilient and adaptive, delivering life-saving services across the City.

With the help of this generous community and GLIDE’s talented team, I am proud to have built upon GLIDE’s enduring legacy as a beacon of hope to position the organization for success and impact. While GLIDE remains the radically loving and inclusive organization it has always been, it is also stepping up in new ways to break cycles of poverty, impact health outcomes, increase food and housing security, and proactively change systems to promote justice and equity for all.

As we begin the search for a new CEO, I am confident that GLIDE will be in capable hands. In the near term, former GLIDE Board Member, Malcolm Walter, will serve as Interim CEO and our Board of Directors is also stepping up in new ways to set GLIDE up for success. As always, Marvin K. White, our Minster of Celebration, will continue to lead and inspire our spiritual community.

Further information may be found in this press release.

Thank you to so many of you who have supported me, taught me, and served with me over these six years. I will remain always and forever a GLIDE supporter.

With love and in solidarity,

Karen

 

*NOTE TO REPORTERS/EDITORS:  GLIDE Foundation is the correct name for the organization at 330 Ellis Street that organizes and provides the Daily Free Meals and other social services and social justice programs. The church, historically called Glide Memorial Church, is one of several programs operated by the GLIDE Foundation. When referring to GLIDE social services and programs, please use the correct name, GLIDE Foundation, or simply GLIDE, rather than the historical name of the church.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                  

December 8, 2022                                                                         

CONTACT:
Gabby Deyi
etozer@glide.org  

GLIDE President and CEO Karen Hanrahan to Step Down after Successful Tenure of Expanding GLIDE’s Reach and Deepening Its Impact

SAN FRANCISCO –  GLIDE Foundation, San Francisco’s nationally recognized center for social justice, today announced the resignation of long-time President & CEO Karen Hanrahan.  Hanrahan was recruited to the role in 2017, bringing 25 years of expertise in global social innovation, advancing human rights and building high-impact global initiatives around the world.  GLIDE Board member Malcolm Walter will serve as Interim CEO.  In January 2023, GLIDE will have the opportunity to celebrate her leadership and achievements.

While at GLIDE, Hanrahan guided the iconic institution through some of the most significant changes and challenges in GLIDE’s history, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to independence from the United Methodist Church.  Hanrahan brought the vision and architecture for GLIDE’s next generation and set it on a course for long-term sustainability and impact. Under Hanrahan’s leadership, GLIDE launched its Center for Social Justice to drive systems change, began evolving GLIDE’s services model and expanded GLIDE’s mobile services to provide support to the most vulnerable throughout San Francisco.  Leveraging GLIDE’s 60-year legacy in San Francisco, Hanrahan has made an indelible mark that positions it for long-term success.  

“After five and a half years and an incredible journey, I have decided to pass the baton,” said Hanrahan. “GLIDE and its legacy are so much bigger than any one CEO and it has been a true honor and privilege to lead GLIDE during such a critical time in its history.  Together, we have faced and stepped up in a time of unprecedented challenge, and I could not have asked for a better team to get us through those times. GLIDE has achieved so much over the past five years, and is on the precipice of achieving so much more that we have built together. I can’t wait to see these aspirations, and many more, realized.”

GLIDE will initiate a search to find an effective leader who can build on the work of Hanrahan and work with the entire GLIDE staff and community to advance GLIDE’s mission and vision.   Malcolm Walter, a long-time GLIDE Board Member, and retired COO and CFO of leading organizations, including Bentley Systems, will step in as interim CEO and launch a search for a new CEO. 

“Karen has guarded GLIDE’s legacy as a movement for the people, a beacon of hope and love for everyone, no matter what,” said GLIDE Founder and Pastor Emeritus Cecil Williams. “She has always been the right leader for GLIDE. Even while she was fighting battles and charting our course to new times, she never lost sight of our mission of a radially inclusive, just and loving community mobilized to alleviate suffering and break cycles of poverty and marginalization. Her impact and love for GLIDE will be felt for decades to come as GLIDE keeps on changing and moving to serve the most vulnerable among us.”

“We are eternally grateful for Karen’s unwavering dedication to GLIDE’s mission,” said Kaye Foster, chair of GLIDE Board of Directors. “Karen’s leadership has proven invaluable over these challenging years in both setting GLIDE on a path of impact and sustainability and in leading us through some truly existential crises. Karen was the visionary and architect of GLIDE’s strategic plan and leaves the organization in a strong place to continue expanding our work on behalf of the community. Karen was rooted in GLIDE’s mission and values, and it is these shared values that allow us to continually evolve and build on each leader’s contributions to meet the needs of those most vulnerable among us.”

“Throughout unprecedented challenges and opportunities, Karen has expertly steered GLIDE with a commitment to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives,” said interim CEO Malcolm Walter. “Karen has led GLIDE to define new levels of impact, effectively resolve the relationship with the Methodist Church, strengthen the Center of Social Justice, develop GLIDE’s 5-year strategic plan, and guide the organization through GLIDE’s extraordinary response to COVID-19 over the past two-and-a half years. These are big shoes to fill and, thankfully, GLIDE is rooted in long-term change. Together, we will continue to build on the progress Karen has made to serve the beloved community.”

About GLIDE:

For nearly six decades spanning political, economic and cultural changes, GLIDE has served as a social justice movement, social service provider and spiritual community dedicated to strengthening communities and transforming lives. GLIDE is a nationally-recognized center for equity, dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives. Through our integrated services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community, we empower individuals, families, and children to achieve stability and thrive. GLIDE is on the forefront of addressing some of society’s most pressing issues, including  poverty, housing and homelessness, and racial and social justice.

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A portion of our staff at GLIDE has voted to form a union with Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 29.    Each voter cast their ballot in a free and fair election, supervised by the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).   We respect the wishes of our employees and we will bargain in good faith.

Moving forward, our top priority remains the same – to bring out the best of GLIDE for each other, our clients, and our community.  The City’s challenges, such as homelessness, drug overdoses, social isolation, income disparity, and food insecurity, continue to grow.  And GLIDE will continue to step up to meet these challenges with expanded services to transform lives, root out injustice, promote equity, and heal our city.  We remain committed and steadfast to the mission, legacy, and future of GLIDE.”

GLIDE Leadership Team