Ellen, Hope and Gus

Dear Friends,

On hot summer days like today—the days that our friend Hope Reichbach loved most of all—it’s hard to believe she’s been gone for fifteen months. On July 14th, we lost Hope’s greatest role model and mentor—her father, Gus Reichbach. As a community, we gather again to reflect on how best to honor this incredible public servant, father, and progressive leader. Hope was her father’s daughter through and through, and we know that we can best honor Gus by honoring her.

Last summer, though our grief was still raw, we began thinking what we could do to honor Hope. We set out to create something in memory of the intrepid, ambitious 22-year-old young woman we so missed. A core group of Hope’s friends began meeting on Bond Street in Brooklyn, in the house where Hope was raised and where her mom, Ellen Meyers, still makes her home.

And so we created the Hope Reichbach Memorial Fund, a fund that would give young people opportunities to work toward social justice and progressive values in Brooklyn, as Hope had done. The fund provides generous stipends to college students in financial need for summer internships in Brooklyn-based community organizing, activism, and civic leadership.

This summer, the interns we’ve selected are bright, dynamic, and eager to make a positive impact on the world. These five interns recently began working at a great group of Brooklyn-based organizations that are offering opportunities for civic participation in many forms.

Hope’s much too short life continues to influence the politics, policies, and lives of the people of Brooklyn through the impact our interns are making on this community, and the influence the program will have on their paths. One year later, we are resolved to continue Hope’s legacy in this way.

July 24th would have been Hope’s 24th birthday. Please consider honoring her memory by making a gift to the Hope Reichbach Memorial Fund. The support of the community Hope built allows her values and her spirit to live on. Thank you for being a part of the Circle of Hope.

Donate online:

http://www.brooklyncommunityfoundation.org/give/hope-reichbach-fund

Donate by mail:
Please make checks payable to the Brooklyn Community Foundation–note the Hope Reichbach Memorial Fund in the memo section of the check. Donations to the Brooklyn Community Foundation for the Hope Reichbach Memorial Fund are tax deductible as provided by law.

Brooklyn Community Foundation / Hope Reichbach Memorial Fund
Attn: Development Office
45 Main Street, Suite 409
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Much love,
Hope’s friends and family