OUR ORIGIN STORY

Hello Friend,

 

You’ve probably made your way here because you’re going through something hard. I’m so sorry. This human thing is really rough sometimes. I’m glad you’re here, and I hope we can offer you tools for seeking support from your community right now. Take a look around, and reach out if there’s something you were looking for that you couldn’t find. We are working to keep building tools that lift you up and help you get through.

 

I came up with the idea for Here for Ya in early 2024, when I was deep in grief after my daughter, Sora, was stillborn in November 2023. My sister reached out to our community after my daughter’s death, asking folks to support my husband and me with meals and donations to cover our medical expenses. We received an outpouring of help and love from near and far, and that support buoyed us through the hardest months. My daughter’s death was my first experience of deep grief as an adult, and I realized how little I knew about how to support others when they are going through hard things. I gained a new understanding of what really helps (and what really doesn’t).

 

There is no substitute for feeling loved and seen by your community, but I learned in my grief how sparse our cultural norms are around being there for friends and family in hard times. I saw a need for a digital space that provides a wide range of tools to support people in asking for and giving meaningful help. So my Mom and I dove headfirst into dreaming up Here for Ya. We hope it supports you.

 

I’m so sorry you're going through something hard. I know from experience that there are some things that can never be made right, but I also know you’ll get through these hardest days. I’m rooting for you. 

 

Love,

Julia