Ann Kirby Is Presented The Dustin Cesarek Compassion Award

Ann Kirby heard we were creating Storm Chasers and came running. We had no history with her but that didn’t matter. She had a deeply moving caregiver experience that helped her see the potential the program had, and she was determined to make it awesome. While others on the Storm Chasers team are more visible, she toils away quietly creating frameworks that strive to simplify complexity and bring clarity to ambiguity. When we first saw these frameworks, we were stunned. She asked us questions we hadn’t considered. And she also anticipated many of the potential pitfalls small organizations like ours fall prey to when they roll out new programs. Ann’s quiet organizing and probing will allow her compassion to be realized on a much larger scale, and for long after her involvement ends.??

"Compassion is seeing your pain reflected in another person’s circumstances and then choosing to sit with them in the dark so they don't have to be alone. Compassion recognizes the dignity we all deserve and connects us to our shared humanity. Someone who is compassionate often gives themselves freely to others, often at their own expense, so that those they serve may feel less alone or maybe even be relieved of some of the burdens they bear."? Dustin Cesarek , Founder