A MESSAGE FROM Stella
Intro & Positionality:
Hi everyone! My name is Stella Kim Hansen. I am a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor. I am a first generation, Korean American cisgender female. I hold privilege in terms of my socioeconomic status and my ability to train for the marathon- I am able to live in a safe neighborhood of my choosing, where I can go out running alone as a female; I have the privilege of TIME to train 4-5x/week because I have the means to a standard 40 hour/week job and no additional responsibilities of childcare, multi-generational housing/responsibilities for caretaking for family members, etc., I have access to medical care and mental health care through great insurance that gives me stability and safety in taking on this challenging endeavor. The list goes on. We must all use our privilege for good.
Why am I fundraising?
A large part of the education in my doctorate program focused on social justice and advocacy work. Combined with the chronosystem in which we are living right now, running a marathon a year after so many people suffered and died during a global pandemic is only heightening the acute sense of disparities that exist in our city.
I worked as an essential worker in 2020 and saw firsthand the devastation that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the people close to Downstate Medical Center. The people of the community and hospital took whatever resources they had to provide the best care to the people coming in with COVID. This emotional bond I feel with the dedicated employees of Downstate solidified my desire to fundraise their Brooklyn Free Clinic.
I believe that changes must be radically transformative in order to overturn the system of disparities in which we live, but also know that homeostasis is a powerful force. This is why I believe that while we keep working and advocating for social justice issues at the policy/structural/institutional level, the actions we can take to help others in our immediate environment are the most impactful in the present moment.
I believe in direct action through mutual aid groups, I believe in grassroot efforts like neighborhood cleanup efforts, and I believe in free clinics (like Brooklyn Free Clinic!) that provide access to those with barriers to healthcare. Brooklyn Free Clinic is staffed entirely by doctors, residents, students, etc... who volunteer their time to provide free healthcare, psychiatric services, and other essential needs like HIV testing to those who face barriers to accessing insurance and healthcare.
We're In This Together!
I remember during 2020, my friends and family helped me to fundraise OVER $4,000 in less than 24 hours to contribute to Brooklyn Unites, an organization that brought free meals and PPE to the essential workers at Downstate during the pandemic. My fundraising goal is $5,000 but I am shooting for the stars and hope to raise much more than this.
Thank you in advance to everyone who took time to read this and is donating to this cause. I hope to see you cheering out there on November 7th!
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