A few weeks ago, I was reminded of the importance of gratitude. It came from a girl sitting in the juvenile detention.
It had been a difficult day in court. Today was supposed than be the day the judge set Kayla’s* release date. Instead, she was told she would have to stay longer, with no clarity on when she would go home. I left that courtroom angry, disappointed, and deeply worried. I knew how much she had been working on herself. I experienced how much she had grown since her arrest and I knew she deserved to go home. I also knew that when she was sad or frustrated, her instinct was often to act out her feelings. I feared she might get into more trouble once she was returned to the detention center before I could reach her.
I drove straight to the juvenile detention center, hoping I wasn’t too late.
As always, they brought me into a small private room to wait. Thirty long minutes passed, long enough for my anxious thoughts to take over. She’s in isolation. I missed my chance. She’s hurting and angry, and I can’t get to her.
Then the door creaked open.
I braced myself for the guard to tell me to return tomorrow, but instead, Kayla walked in with the guard. She looked calmer than I expected. Stronger, even. She had a determined look on her face.
“I’m so sorry,” I started, ready to sit with her disappointment.
But she stopped me.
“Ms. Vicky,” she said gently, “you always remind me to show gratitude even in the most difficult times. Did you see who was sitting behind you?”
In all my anxiousness during the hearing, I hadn’t noticed anyone.
“My mom and my sister,” she continued. “They were three rows behind you. She’s never come to any of my court hearings. I mentioned it yesterday on our family call…but I didn’t think she would actually show up.”
I just sat there, stunned, humbled, and in awe.
Even in the middle of one of the hardest moments of her young life, she found gratitude. She found something good. She held onto hope. And in that moment, she reminded me what it means to see light in the midst of uncertainty.
That is the spirit I want to carry with me into this Thanksgiving season. Even though the year has had many bumps, I am grateful for so many gifts our donors and supporters, our partners and community champions, the amazing Policy Center Board, the Policy Center Staff and most of all the girls and their families.
Gratitude for the Girls We Are Privileged to Serve
The girls and young women we walk alongside are our greatest teachers. Their resilience, courage, humor, and honesty remind us each day why our work matters.
They show us that they are more than the worse moment in their lives.
They show us that healing is possible.
They show us that change can happen.
They show us what hope looks like in real time.
We are thankful for every girl who trusts us with her story, who shows up to group even on the hard days, who takes steps—big or small—toward her own future. They are the heart of everything we do.
Gratitude for Our Donors and Supporters
Your generosity fuels transformation.
Every gift, every sponsorship, every moment of advocacy, every time you share our work with someone else, you are helping us build a world where girls are seen, heard, and supported.
You make it possible for us to walk into courtrooms, detention centers, schools, and communities and say, “You are not alone.”
You make it possible for us to expand programs, train professionals, drive policy change, and build safety nets for survivors across Florida.
Your support changes trajectories, and creates futures filled with possibility.
Thank you for believing in our mission and standing with us year after year.
Gratitude for Our Partners and Community Champions
From law enforcement to educators, from child welfare professionals to community-based organizations, our partnerships allow us to break silos and create systems that truly respond to the needs of girls.
Thank you for inviting us into tough conversations, pushing for innovation, and holding the collective vision of a safer, more just Florida for young women.
Gratitude for the Policy Center Staff
To our extraordinary team: thank you.
Thank you for showing up with compassion, skill, and determination.
Thank you for holding space for the hardest stories and celebrating the smallest victories.
Thank you for the late nights, the early mornings, the difficult stories, the creative problem-solving, and the unwavering commitment to our “See the Girl” mission.
You embody our values every day. And I am so deeply grateful for each of you.
Grateful to our Board of Directors
Thank you to our Board of Directors for always supporting the work and mission of the Policy Center. Thank you for challenging us to be innovative, focused and accountable. Your unconditional support helps us to stay focuses on the work and the girls.
As We Enter the Holiday Season…
This time of year invites reflection, connection, and gratitude. For some of the girls we serve, it is also a time filled with mixed emotions, memories, uncertainty, or separation from family.
So this season, I hold close the lesson Kayla taught me:
Gratitude does not erase pain, but it gives us strength to face it.
Gratitude does not change circumstances, but it changes how we carry them.
Gratitude reminds us that even in difficult moments, we are not alone.
I hope each of us can find a small moment, like a mother appearing in the back row of a courtroom, to remind us of what still gives us hope and to create hope in the lives of all those we touch.
From my family to yours, and from all of us at the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center:
Thank you.
Thank you for believing in this work.
Thank you for believing in girls.
Thank you for walking with us into a season of gratitude, healing, and possibility.
Wishing you a warm, meaningful, and restorative holiday season.
With gratitude,
Vicky
