Mel @badger-mel - Bluesky Profile

From: Roby, Sarah (CDC/NCIPC/DVP) Sent: Friday, March 28, 2025 5:07:15 PM To: CDC NCIPC DVP ALL Cc: Subject: A love letter to the Division of Violence Prevention As I sit down to write this letter, I am not sure what the future holds. However, I do know how important it feels for me to send these words. So here goes.... I imagine most of us are filled with anxiety and fear right now. As my own anxiety and fear ebb and flow, I am also filled with an immense sense of gratitude and love. Eight years ago when I started in the Division of Violence Prevention, I was a fresh faced, very green MPH student so intimidated by thought of working with names that I used as citations since undergrad. This was THE place I had dreamed of being as a student. I felt a calling to work in the field of violence prevention at the ripe age of 20. I will never forget the day a woman came to the domestic violence shelter where I worked in Henry County. She had come to us from Oklahoma and arrived on a Greyhound bus torn down and worn out. Her abuser had thrown her and her dog off the balcony of their apartment, and she felt broken physically, mentally, and emotionally. She wept as I hugged her and put her belongings into the grass in front of the house. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. I will never forget the look in her eyes, and the grief she carried. That night as I drove home, I knew that there had to be a better way, but just didn't know how... yet. Her story and so many others, including mine, all led me here. And these personal stories are what makes our division so special. Each of us a story, or many, that all led us here. We've all seen the impacts of violence and experienced that grief. But we somehow crafted this grief and pain into fuel and passion for our work. We are special BECAUSE of who we are and what we've experienced. Our unique experiences and passion came together to build this beautiful place of resilience, strength, and dedication.

I am SO incredibly proud of the home we've created and the people we've chosen to share our work family with. And I'm even more proud of our commitment to help every person live a life free of violence and build a country where everyone feels safe. Our shared values and passion created some of the strongest bonds and friendships I've ever known. Outside of our division, I've never really felt understood by family or friends. They tried their best to understand how much I care about violence prevention, but they never deeply understood the underlying passion and inherent calling to help others. This division is one of the first places where I felt understood because you are all weaved from the same threads. As I brace for the impact of RIFs and restructuring, I'm not just grieving for the potential loss of my job, but the loss of such a wonderful place with a warm, caring culture to call my work home. I am grieving the loss of getting to work with each of you every day. Every one of you is so incredibly gifted, kind, and caring and it has been one of the biggest honors of my life to work alongside you. I am so fortunate to have made some of my best friends here. And how many people get to say that about their coworkers? We have done some amazing things together, and no matter what tonight, tomorrow, or the weekend bring, I hope each of you remembers how cherished you are and that our work matters. We don't know what next week will bring, but I do know one thing: each of us will carry on the flame of our work wherever our paths lead us all a little more changed by our time in this division. I will always be grateful for the moments that led me here to my dream career with my dream leadership team and colleagues. I hope my words help provide some comfort and compassion during a time filled with anger, sadness, and uncertainty. If you need a listening ear, hug, or Kleenex you know where to find me. With so much love, Roby

Here is the letter.

02.04.2025 23:18 — 👍 95 🔁 18 💬 3 📌 0

Mel

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