Hi Little Monsters, My name is Maya and I have the privilege of working for Born This Way Foundation, and by extension – for *you*, the millions of young people that encourage and inspire Lady Gaga to make music and work hard to build a kinder and braver world. I have long been a lurker on LittleMonsters.com and am so excited to finally have such an exciting reason to write to you and share more about the hard work that [@gaga](littlemonsters.com/...), Cynthia ([@mamag](littlemonsters.com/...)) and their team have been doing to prepare for an exciting year. In a couple of weeks, you'll see a lot of news stories about Born This Way Foundation popping up but we wanted to tell you first, and invite you to build a groundswell of support from the people that matter most – our Little Monsters – to support the important work that the foundation will do this year. We just wrapped up an intense and exciting period of planning, strategy and partnership building and as we start the new year, we're excited to give you a sneak peak at our revised mission statement. The revised mission statement is: ***Born This Way Foundation is committed to supporting the wellness of young people, and empowering them to create a kinder and braver world. We achieve this by shining a light on real people, quality research and authentic partnerships.*** We're excited. What do you think? This year, we'll focus on three areas (Cynthia likes to call them the 3R's) and they include: · **Real Stories**: Uncovering and highlighting the inspiring stories of young people doing amazing work in their communities. · **Research**: Releasing important research on the issues YOU care most about, tapping into the huge network you've helped us build and bring attention to the important issues young people are facing. · **Relationships**: Partnership local and national organizations to support the important work that they're doing, and enlist them in our shared work of building a kinder and braver world. The first order of business on that list, and something I've already begun to work on, is to create an award for youth that embody our commitment to building a kinder and braver world. We want to honor young people that serve as real life examples of that mission every day, in their schools, in their communities and with their friends. Who better to ask for help from than the Little Monsters community? We're hoping to make a powerful statement about the power of the Little Monsters community and the importance of the work of Born This Way Foundation and we need your help. We're asking you to donate any amount you're able to give in order to support this new youth award, and the first thousand donors will be invited to help name the award, and recognized publicly on the foundation website and our social media. You can donate by texting **“BTWF2015” to 41444** from your mobile phone (USA only). If you donate, we ask that you [post a picture of your confirmation email on LittleMonsters.com](littlemonsters.com/...) with the tag #BTWF2015 and mention us! This will help us get to know what issues are important to those who have donated and allow us to thank you directly. And while you are showing your support for Lady Gaga, Cynthia and the foundation, I'll continue to work hard alongside you to make sure that our work remains youth focused and led. I can be reached here on LittleMonsters.com on our @bornthiswayfoundation page or my account @maybesmith . I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the new mission, suggestions for the foundation and thanking you for your generous donations. With Gratitude, [Maya @ Born This Way Foundation](littlemonsters.com/...)