My work with the Joyful Heart Foundation has brought me into contact with so many remarkable people over the years, and they continue to reinforce that profound lesson. Now we have an opportunity to apply that lesson together, and embrace the promise of change.

As we pass the milestone of our fifth year, stronger and more viable than I ever dared imagine, we are introducing a new mission statement and a new website. Yes, change can be a little unsettling, but I am welcoming it with open arms.

Another change I've embraced is how I see myself in this world. I used to call myself the "accidental activist". No more. I have fully engaged in this mission. It is part of my path, one of the reasons I am here. You see, I don't believe in accidents; I never have. My love for Hawaii where I had my first "heart opening"; my job on SVU that exposed me for the first time to the reality of rape, domestic violence and child abuse and the deep trauma they cause; the development of my relationships with the people who now staff Joyful Heart and sit on the board: all of it was beautifully orchestrated to help us reach the survivors we need to reach, to find other hearts that need opening.

From the very beginning, long before there was a mission or an office or a website, there was the name-Joyful Heart-which was no accident either. At Joyful Heart, we are not about creating more happiness, though that certainly is a welcome by-product of what we do. We are not about having people feel better for a day or a week or a month. We are dedicated to helping survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse recover a sense of joy that informs every part of their lives, helping them take the profoundly courageous steps towards living a life steeped in hope and possibility.

I am awed by how much has come together over the past five years. I began Joyful Heart tentatively, unsure about how-or even if-I could make it work; I didn't know anything about running a foundation. But I dove in, opened my heart and trusted that I was on the right path.

And now I know I was. None of it was accidental, and all of it has led to this moment-this courageous, promising, joyful moment-where you are reading this letter, and we can say: Welcome to Joyful Heart, where anything is possible.

God Bless,
Mariska

< back to the homepage