Dear HUUB family and friends,

The HUUB’s inception a decade ago was a leap of faith. An aging congregation converting their property into a gathering space, inviting everyday members of the public to benefit from its use? Nothing like it had been done before in Orange; it was unheard of. This was a time when the church’s property could have easily been snatched up by developers. Our historic house would have turned into yet another piece of “prime real estate,” with our value defined instead by financial convention and easy access to the midtown direct train.

Yet, a decade later, the HUUB proudly stands as an example of what investing in our community can do for us all. Having survived the hardships typical of small nonprofits, the careful renovations of aging 100-year-old buildings, and a global pandemic, The HUUB has emerged from its first decade stronger and ready to continue our mission.

Whether it’s pool parties, barbecues, family reunions, beach trips, road trips, working hard in the garden, or just hanging out on the porch at grandma’s old house— this is a season that invites us to head outside and spend time with our family, friends, and fellow life in nature. Summer is synonymous with community, and the celebration of those bonds livens these long days.

This year, The HUUB also reflects on this season as one that many of us associate with treasured glimpses of butterflies. Bold caterpillars turn inwards as they become pupa, gather the nutrients they carried within them all along, and emerge once more as butterflies to the joy of young and old alike. These beautiful symbols of hope are creatures many of us can encounter close to home, and our hope for The HUUB is to embody that same, transformative magic. As members of the Orange community pass through the HUUB, we hope to gather our friends and family into butterflies: the stunning results of growing into more than the sum of our parts.

But The HUUB’s success would not be possible without our community. Through your support, what was a small idea has grown to become a Community Campus that regularly invites people to come share, learn, and celebrate with one another. We are so grateful for your financial support over the years, and we hope to continue giving back to Orange for many more.

Events included happy nuptials for our community members, celebrations of life for those we loved, a campaign event with Claudia de la Cruz of the PSL (a third-party candidate for President of the United States), our annual Harvest Fest, and our many monthly potlucks. 

With your financial support, The HUUB will have the capacity to continue to serve as a Community Campus, an incubator of community, connection, and transformation. It is our mission that The HUUB carries on the legacy of the congregation that chose to reinvent The HUUB back in 2015, opening this anchor institution’s doors to the community and inviting them in. And so, we invite you in to help us celebrate this major milestone and help us nourish Orange for many decades to come.

Sincerely,

Khemani Gibson, Mubarika Syed, and The HUUB Team