Camara's Master's In Social Work Fundraiser
Donation protected
Dear family and friends,
I hope you and yours are well this holiday season! I’m writing to share some reflections and invite you to journey with me through some approaching changes in my life. Many of you know that I just ended a decade-long journey with a non-profit ministry. This was a place to navigate my existential inquiry and a space to discover a divine being that is both beyond and near. This was a place that I was surprised to discover a faith centered in a pursuit of justice and restoration for humanity. As a staff for the ministry, I was blessed to offer the same opportunities of discovery to thousands of students. I got to walk alongside them, naming and unearthing the unique gifts they can offer the spaces they influence.
This past decade, I was most struck by my sense of aliveness whenever my work interlaced identity development, spiritual formation, and justice work in students. I came alive throughout 2012, as we carpooled students to different prayer vigils and protests of Trayvon Martin’s murder. I came alive each summer for our Tampa Justice Program. Together, staff and students lived and immersed themselves in the inner city of Tampa for six weeks, living on less than $1 a day, like much of our global neighbors. By day we were volunteering with local nonprofits, serving undocumented immigrants and victims of human trafficking. By night, students were taking classes, completing assigned reading, and viewing documentaries about the realities of systemic injustice. I came alive Wednesday nights at a weekly gathering called Home bible study. This was a miraculous partnership with the university’s Pride organization. LGBTQ+ students and faculty investigated God and shared our range of experiences with gender and sexuality. I came alive each autumn, organizing the Voice of Legacy, Unlocked, and Raíces conferences. These were each different ethnic specific (Black diaspora, Asian and Latinx) conferences for people of color to see the brush strucks of God in our cultures, to heal from racialized trauma, and to be developed as faith leaders in our communities.
These experiences taught me that human transformation can happen when change is pursued as a steady, relational, systemic, and embodied process. This kind of journey is not void of failure and complexities. My students and I learned to face the worst of ourselves and each other with honesty and kindness. We learned how to honor the dignity in those different from us. We learned how to lament injustice, stay engaged in what’s going on in the world, and to build endurance for life’s battles. We grew in reflecting a Jesus that labors for the liberation and wholeness of all things, people, places, and systems alike. All this has deeply nourished my sense of purpose and soothed my sense of being “other” as a woman of color living in this country. Alongside the sense of impact and fulfillment, I also wrestled with frustration of remaining in work that can’t provide financial security for my family. Both the frustration and fulfillment has orchestrated a profound stirring in me to dream about how I want to continue to show up offering my heart and hands in this world.
In January 2021, I will begin a Master of Social Work program. I’m truly excited about the chance to learn more about policy, methods of therapy, strategies for incubating social change and more. The experience and credentials of such an education will give me access to my ultimate dream of becoming a therapist and consultant. I want to provide income based therapy, primarily working with people of color, especially those navigating racialized and religious trauma. As a consultant, I want to facilitate experiential modules to help companies and ministries grow in their competency to engage differences in identity as well as their strategy to make diversity inclusion possible. To orient myself towards this field, I’ve received a certification in Mental Health First Aid. And I’m currently enrolled in a virtual workshop on story engagement and racial trauma. I also just began a new job with an organization that provides Caribbean families access to therapy and mental health education.
Many of you have championed me with your words of affirmation, prayers, and financial support the past decade. As I move forward towards new pursuits, I would love for you to consider helping me make this life transition into social work. My hope is to raise and save as much money for my tuition as I can over the course of my studies to avoid the long term traps of predatory loan lenders. I have attached a separate document anticipating any potential questions you may have about this time in my life and my program. Please feel free to reach out via phone or email if you would like to chat more. Without any relational obligation, if you find that my particular work resonates with your heart and generosity goals, would you consider financially giving a donation towards my education and the work I am seeking to do?
Thank you so much for reading and considering!
Camara Gaither
Q&A Section:
Question: Do you not have a job that can help you pay for your masters?
Answer: I work as an Outreach Coordinator with a non-profit that provides therapy and mental health resources to Caribbean adults and children. Of course, I’ll be saving as much as I can to pay for my tuition. Sadly, my lucrative side hustle of tennis coaching has ended due to Covid. All my preschools have suspended sports enrichment programs to reduce the risk of Covid exposure to kids and staff. Like many families impacted by Covid, Russell and I are doing all that we can to get through this crazy time and give ourselves the best chance at pursuing our dreams long term.
Question: Tell me more about this graduate program Camara.
Answer: I’m pursuing a Masters of Social Work at the University of Central Florida. Given the current political chaos and racial unrest, the social work department’s curriculum creators have further fine tuned the program to better equip future social workers to care for the marginalized and disrupt oppressive systems. This program will allow me to grasp how the entirety of a person’s surroundings impact their well being. I’ll learn more about how a person’s family of origin, home life, racial/ethnic background, economic status, and gender/sexuality shape them. I’ll learn the complex realities of government structures and policy that people find themselves harmed by and subject to. I’ll learn about methods of intervention and therapy. I’ll learn about how to connect clients with a range of services and resources so they can have access to basic needs and care that all humans unconditionally deserve. Due to Covid, this program is completely virtual which is much better for my life as a working mom! My program will cost $33,000. It will take 3 years for me to graduate. Once I graduate, I’ll be working towards receiving my license in social work which will give me the most opportunities as a therapist.
Question: Are there any scholarships or grants you could attain?
Answer: There is absolutely potential for some scholarships to be applied to my program. Best believe, I’ll be applying for all the scholarships I can. Scholarships for my program typically become available after a student has shown academic success for a couple semesters in the program. Unfortunately, the big grants that graduate students can often receive are mostly for full time status. My particular program is part time status.
Question: What does a return on investment look like if I give to you?
Answer: Great question! Obviously grad school will be profoundly formative for me personally and professionally. Yet I think that there is also a bigger picture of supporting people and organizations that are deeply committed to being agents of change through the avenue of social work and mental health. 2020 has amplified and exposed undeniable long existing societal chaos, economic disparity, and racial trauma. There is a need for so much change. The moment that we are living in requires us to be attuned to our own sense of humanity as well as an awareness that we are all connected and impacted by one another. This moment needs people who privately, publicly, and steadfastly make it their business to interrupt what is wrong and labor for a reality where the world is closer to what it should be. I am one of many who feel drawn to work that creates opportunities for healing and justice on an individual, collective, and systemic level. All to say, your investment is not only in me but in the change we all are yearning for.
Question: What kind of gifts are you looking for and how can I help?
Answer: I like this question, thanks for asking! I'm looking for both one-time gifts and annual gifts. My tuition is $33,000 and my program will be for 3 years. Hence, I’ll be fundraising once a year for 3 years. Of course, we are all in very different financial situations so please know that whatever you are willing and able to donate is a gift to me! I’ve created some examples of giving below to paint a picture of how particular numbers of both larger gifts and smaller gifts can help me get closer to my goal while helping you gage your budget and generosity goals.
Leadership Gifts:
2 gifts of $5,000 | 2 gifts of $2,000 | 3 gifts of $1,000
Total: $17,000
Supporting Gifts:
10 gifts of $500 | 10 gifts of $300 | 10 gifts $200
Total: $10,000
Sustaining Gifts:
25 gifts of $100 | 25 gifts of $75 | 25 gifts of $50
Total: $5,625
Bookworm Gift:
5 people that would help purchase my class books!
Question: COVID has made it a little hard in this season, any other ways I can support you in this endeavor?
Answer: Yes, I'm asking everyone who cannot and can give, if they can connect to anyone who would be interested in hearing more of my story and learning how they could help a former missionary transition into social work. Also, consider any previous UCF graduates you may know that love the school. Many alumni are open to helping others succeed at their alma mater.
Question: Is My Donation Tax-Deductible?
Answer: Donations that are made to a personal GoFundMe fundraiser, rather than a charity fundraiser, are considered to be personal gifts. They are generally not tax-deductible. You can always check with a tax professional about potential deductions to be sure, but you will not be issued a tax receipt from the GoFundMe company.
I hope you and yours are well this holiday season! I’m writing to share some reflections and invite you to journey with me through some approaching changes in my life. Many of you know that I just ended a decade-long journey with a non-profit ministry. This was a place to navigate my existential inquiry and a space to discover a divine being that is both beyond and near. This was a place that I was surprised to discover a faith centered in a pursuit of justice and restoration for humanity. As a staff for the ministry, I was blessed to offer the same opportunities of discovery to thousands of students. I got to walk alongside them, naming and unearthing the unique gifts they can offer the spaces they influence.
This past decade, I was most struck by my sense of aliveness whenever my work interlaced identity development, spiritual formation, and justice work in students. I came alive throughout 2012, as we carpooled students to different prayer vigils and protests of Trayvon Martin’s murder. I came alive each summer for our Tampa Justice Program. Together, staff and students lived and immersed themselves in the inner city of Tampa for six weeks, living on less than $1 a day, like much of our global neighbors. By day we were volunteering with local nonprofits, serving undocumented immigrants and victims of human trafficking. By night, students were taking classes, completing assigned reading, and viewing documentaries about the realities of systemic injustice. I came alive Wednesday nights at a weekly gathering called Home bible study. This was a miraculous partnership with the university’s Pride organization. LGBTQ+ students and faculty investigated God and shared our range of experiences with gender and sexuality. I came alive each autumn, organizing the Voice of Legacy, Unlocked, and Raíces conferences. These were each different ethnic specific (Black diaspora, Asian and Latinx) conferences for people of color to see the brush strucks of God in our cultures, to heal from racialized trauma, and to be developed as faith leaders in our communities.
These experiences taught me that human transformation can happen when change is pursued as a steady, relational, systemic, and embodied process. This kind of journey is not void of failure and complexities. My students and I learned to face the worst of ourselves and each other with honesty and kindness. We learned how to honor the dignity in those different from us. We learned how to lament injustice, stay engaged in what’s going on in the world, and to build endurance for life’s battles. We grew in reflecting a Jesus that labors for the liberation and wholeness of all things, people, places, and systems alike. All this has deeply nourished my sense of purpose and soothed my sense of being “other” as a woman of color living in this country. Alongside the sense of impact and fulfillment, I also wrestled with frustration of remaining in work that can’t provide financial security for my family. Both the frustration and fulfillment has orchestrated a profound stirring in me to dream about how I want to continue to show up offering my heart and hands in this world.
In January 2021, I will begin a Master of Social Work program. I’m truly excited about the chance to learn more about policy, methods of therapy, strategies for incubating social change and more. The experience and credentials of such an education will give me access to my ultimate dream of becoming a therapist and consultant. I want to provide income based therapy, primarily working with people of color, especially those navigating racialized and religious trauma. As a consultant, I want to facilitate experiential modules to help companies and ministries grow in their competency to engage differences in identity as well as their strategy to make diversity inclusion possible. To orient myself towards this field, I’ve received a certification in Mental Health First Aid. And I’m currently enrolled in a virtual workshop on story engagement and racial trauma. I also just began a new job with an organization that provides Caribbean families access to therapy and mental health education.
Many of you have championed me with your words of affirmation, prayers, and financial support the past decade. As I move forward towards new pursuits, I would love for you to consider helping me make this life transition into social work. My hope is to raise and save as much money for my tuition as I can over the course of my studies to avoid the long term traps of predatory loan lenders. I have attached a separate document anticipating any potential questions you may have about this time in my life and my program. Please feel free to reach out via phone or email if you would like to chat more. Without any relational obligation, if you find that my particular work resonates with your heart and generosity goals, would you consider financially giving a donation towards my education and the work I am seeking to do?
Thank you so much for reading and considering!
Camara Gaither
Q&A Section:
Question: Do you not have a job that can help you pay for your masters?
Answer: I work as an Outreach Coordinator with a non-profit that provides therapy and mental health resources to Caribbean adults and children. Of course, I’ll be saving as much as I can to pay for my tuition. Sadly, my lucrative side hustle of tennis coaching has ended due to Covid. All my preschools have suspended sports enrichment programs to reduce the risk of Covid exposure to kids and staff. Like many families impacted by Covid, Russell and I are doing all that we can to get through this crazy time and give ourselves the best chance at pursuing our dreams long term.
Question: Tell me more about this graduate program Camara.
Answer: I’m pursuing a Masters of Social Work at the University of Central Florida. Given the current political chaos and racial unrest, the social work department’s curriculum creators have further fine tuned the program to better equip future social workers to care for the marginalized and disrupt oppressive systems. This program will allow me to grasp how the entirety of a person’s surroundings impact their well being. I’ll learn more about how a person’s family of origin, home life, racial/ethnic background, economic status, and gender/sexuality shape them. I’ll learn the complex realities of government structures and policy that people find themselves harmed by and subject to. I’ll learn about methods of intervention and therapy. I’ll learn about how to connect clients with a range of services and resources so they can have access to basic needs and care that all humans unconditionally deserve. Due to Covid, this program is completely virtual which is much better for my life as a working mom! My program will cost $33,000. It will take 3 years for me to graduate. Once I graduate, I’ll be working towards receiving my license in social work which will give me the most opportunities as a therapist.
Question: Are there any scholarships or grants you could attain?
Answer: There is absolutely potential for some scholarships to be applied to my program. Best believe, I’ll be applying for all the scholarships I can. Scholarships for my program typically become available after a student has shown academic success for a couple semesters in the program. Unfortunately, the big grants that graduate students can often receive are mostly for full time status. My particular program is part time status.
Question: What does a return on investment look like if I give to you?
Answer: Great question! Obviously grad school will be profoundly formative for me personally and professionally. Yet I think that there is also a bigger picture of supporting people and organizations that are deeply committed to being agents of change through the avenue of social work and mental health. 2020 has amplified and exposed undeniable long existing societal chaos, economic disparity, and racial trauma. There is a need for so much change. The moment that we are living in requires us to be attuned to our own sense of humanity as well as an awareness that we are all connected and impacted by one another. This moment needs people who privately, publicly, and steadfastly make it their business to interrupt what is wrong and labor for a reality where the world is closer to what it should be. I am one of many who feel drawn to work that creates opportunities for healing and justice on an individual, collective, and systemic level. All to say, your investment is not only in me but in the change we all are yearning for.
Question: What kind of gifts are you looking for and how can I help?
Answer: I like this question, thanks for asking! I'm looking for both one-time gifts and annual gifts. My tuition is $33,000 and my program will be for 3 years. Hence, I’ll be fundraising once a year for 3 years. Of course, we are all in very different financial situations so please know that whatever you are willing and able to donate is a gift to me! I’ve created some examples of giving below to paint a picture of how particular numbers of both larger gifts and smaller gifts can help me get closer to my goal while helping you gage your budget and generosity goals.
Leadership Gifts:
2 gifts of $5,000 | 2 gifts of $2,000 | 3 gifts of $1,000
Total: $17,000
Supporting Gifts:
10 gifts of $500 | 10 gifts of $300 | 10 gifts $200
Total: $10,000
Sustaining Gifts:
25 gifts of $100 | 25 gifts of $75 | 25 gifts of $50
Total: $5,625
Bookworm Gift:
5 people that would help purchase my class books!
Question: COVID has made it a little hard in this season, any other ways I can support you in this endeavor?
Answer: Yes, I'm asking everyone who cannot and can give, if they can connect to anyone who would be interested in hearing more of my story and learning how they could help a former missionary transition into social work. Also, consider any previous UCF graduates you may know that love the school. Many alumni are open to helping others succeed at their alma mater.
Question: Is My Donation Tax-Deductible?
Answer: Donations that are made to a personal GoFundMe fundraiser, rather than a charity fundraiser, are considered to be personal gifts. They are generally not tax-deductible. You can always check with a tax professional about potential deductions to be sure, but you will not be issued a tax receipt from the GoFundMe company.
Organizer
Russell Gaither
Organizer
Orlando, FL