Community Care at the Center
In the face of growing authoritarianism and the constant attacks on civil and human rights, it’s easy to feel isolated, hopeless, and anxious. Be The Ones is leaning deeply into something we know to be true: community care isn’t optional - it’s essential, and it must be at the center of everything we do.
Since January, we’ve created spaces where people could gather, connect, and simply be. Spaces rooted in joy, nourishment, and the reminder that none of us are alone.
This spring, we hosted two People’s House Parties - in Charleston and Columbia - as a way to close out the legislative session and provide resources, materials, mutual aid, and connections to communities. With pizza, popsicles, a scavenger hunt, and community resource tables, these gatherings celebrated care in the little things. They were also places for reflection and reconnection.
At our Columbia event, we met Evan. He had first discovered Be The Ones in January, when he stumbled across our Legislative Kickoff Celebration at the State House. Intrigued, he began following along with our work.
Cut to months later, he walked into our People’s House Party unsure of what to expect. He left feeling something else entirely. Months later, he walked into our People’s House Party unsure of what to expect. He left feeling something else entirely.
“The experience far exceeded my expectations,” Evan told us. “It was refreshing to have genuine conversations rooted in shared values and hopes, to learn new things, and to meet new people. It reminded me that there are so many of us across the state fighting for better conditions for our communities.”
Evan, who works in environmental advocacy, reflected on conservation and the connection to Be The Ones.
“Conservation shows up in so many places, whether it’s land, wealth, culture, or community,” he said. “Be The Ones is doing the same: conserving and growing civic engagement in vital ways. Not to mention showing up in so many places across South Carolina.”
That reflection struck us deeply. Conservation isn’t just about protecting something - it’s about nurturing, sustaining, and ensuring it thrives. That’s what we aim to do with civic engagement: nurture it, grow it, and keep it alive through people-powered relationships, care, and joy.
Civic engagement isn’t just showing up at the polls. It’s choosing to show up for each other - over pizza, popsicles, or maybe even a scavenger hunt - and remembering that community is our greatest resource.
And the stories we share, like Evan’s, help us see how care and connection ripple outward. They remind us that every gathering, every conversation, every story told is part of conserving something bigger: a culture of belonging, care, and people-powered democracy that we are building together.
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What story has shaped your journey, your community, your hope? Send us an email at hello@betheones.org - we’d love to listen - and if you’re open to, we’d love to share your story.
Our birthday month isn’t done yet. We’ve got more stories, surprises, and a chance to raise $10,000 to fuel the work ahead. If you’re ready to fuel our future, it would mean the world to us if you would consider making a birthday gift by clicking here.
📚 Together, we’re not just telling stories. We’re writing the future. 📝