08/02/2026
Happy 5th birthday, Nava! There’s still time to donate to our birthday fund to help us reach our goal- we are 93% there! Bit.ly/thenavacenter
Please read founder Dr. Jessica Shore’s birthday speech:
Thank you all for helping us celebrate our fifth birthday! I want to thank the board and our clinicians for their work and commitment to Nava. Thank you to the Women’s Wellness Space for allowing us to use their space. I want to give an extra special shout out to Thérèse Walsh who plans these fundraisers and has always been incredibly dedicated to Nava even before she was a board member. She is the reason everything looks so good and tastes so good- thank you so much, Thérèse, I don’t know how Nava would get on without you.
I also wanna give a huge shout out to my sister Stacy, who has brought Nava awareness into the DC Metro area. I don’t know what I would do without your support Sissy. Thank you to my husband Trevor- I am only able to do everything because he does everything else. Thank you to the rest of my family for your love and support always especially Anjali and Sam for coming up to help with this event. Huge shoutout to for being the MVP!
Six years ago when Nava was just a seed being planted, I wondered if I would ever be standing here today. Some of you may not know this, but while starting Nava was always a dream of mine, it was one I had planned for the distant future. But life gets in the way sometimes or as my mom liked to say Der mentsh trakht, un Got lakht - you plan, God laughs.
So there we were in the middle of a pandemic and I was watching the world around me fall apart. And as much of a misanthrope as I can sometimes be, I care deeply about humanity and do not want anyone to suffer. So I started Nava with the hope of making as big of a difference as I could by doing what I do best- helping people heal and grow.
Along the way I have been lucky enough to find other people to join me in this work. Who also share the vision of a more equitable and just world for everyone. Over these last five years that of providing services, we have been able to help hundreds of people on their healing journeys and have impacted thousands of people in the work that we do because every positive interaction begets a positive interaction. Every survivor we help heal changes the trajectory of their life and the lives of everyone they touch, just as we are changed by being part of their journey.
The average cost for therapy nationally is $150. Right now, we provide free high quality therapy to 20% of our clients. 75% of our clients pay less than $35 for therapy which is 500% LOWER than that national average. We are meeting a need and filling a gap for life saving services that is not being met by any other agency in the city.
The government does not support our work and due to our size, it has been difficult to get major sustainable funding from foundations, which is why this annual fundraiser is so important. Without donations and donor support, we would never have been able to exist for this long, or be thinking about our future.
I know there are many worthy causes out there, but how many of them can say that ALL of their donations go directly to the care of incredibly marginalized and vulnerable people? You can feel confident that every donation to The Nava Center goes directly to ensuring that a trauma survivor who otherwise would be unable to access high-quality trauma therapy is able to heal because of you. It doesn’t take much for us to exist, but we need your help to reach our financial goal of $30000 each year.
It isn’t just about the amount, but also the volume. If you get 10 of your friends to donate $25 that covers a month of therapy. Becoming a monthly donor allows us to count on your donation and increase our stability in the community. Or better yet, join our Round Up campaign and give pennies that turn into dollars with every purchase you make!
Every person that we help goes on to help others so by donating to The Nava Center you’re not just helping one person but you’re helping the community as a whole and I can’t think of a better way to use my money then to make the world a safer place for everyone to exist.
The night is young, and there are still time to eat some food, take some pictures, buy raffle tickets, and make donations! May the odds be ever in your favor and may you keep Nava’s mission close to your heart always! Thank you.
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