The Fight for Hope: Ostara Day Reflections

Kyle Halmrast, Founder & CEO, Ostara Group

By Kyle Halmrast

For those of you who have been around Ostara for a while as a client, supporter, employee, or contractor, you likely know the origins of our name. If, however, you’re new to us, Ostara is the Nordic word signifying the vernal, or spring, equinox – it’s when the darkness of winter is behind us. The days are getting longer, new things are planted and are beginning to sprout, and the promise of a fresh start is around the corner. That idea is what Ostara, the company, means to me, and what it means to our clients as well: that a new day is dawning, that there is hope on the horizon, and that there will be growth to look forward to.

Typically, my Ostara day messages are lighter, more grounded in the possible, but we now find ourselves in a time when hope feels somewhat misplaced.

Ostara was founded in 2008 during one of the most significant financial downturns since the depression. We weathered that, then weathered the storm of COVID, and the cultural upheaval in 2020, so one would think that we had seen the worst. But I have to say, what we’re witnessing now with the assault on the basic fabric of our civic and social structures is unlike anything I’ve experienced in my 30 years in the non-profit sector.

The current administration and their lackeys believe that the non-profit sector is a scam, filled with money-hungry n’er-do-wells.

Frankly, I’ve never been more insulted. For me and my fellow non-profit professionals, to be likened to grifters by an administration replete with grifters is the ultimate and most abominable case of projection I have ever seen.

So, it’s hard to feel hopeful at a time like this. Our academic institutions are being attacked on political grounds. Congressionally awarded grants are being illegally frozen by fiat. People are being disappeared and deported despite their citizenship status. It smacks of some of the worst political malfeasance in our global history.

In short, it really is a fucking mess. 

But I believe that this chaos and the direct attack on hope is exactly the point. There is an expectation that we’ll tire, be afraid to stand, or just shut our eyes in the hopes that the monster will go away.

And this is their mistake.

We in the non-profit sector are resilient. We’re fighters. We’re used to moving mountains with very small shovels. Ultimately, I believe that justice will prevail – those of us working tirelessly to serve our communities are not going anywhere.

So, there you have it, full circle… we are back to the hope that I always return to, because I believe in our tenacity as a sector. Keep in the fight. Be smart, be focused, and lean into your work, your relationships, and your mission. Keep your eyes open and your mind clear.

A new beginning is always around the corner… and ours is coming.