We Are Enough to Keep Belonging Alive

I’m fundraising for AmazeWorks because I believe every child deserves to walk into a classroom and feel like they belong. 

I’ve worn many uniforms in my life. As a veteran, I learned the value of courage, resilience, and service. As a mechanic I learned the value of courage when fighting for belonging inside the walls of a garage. And as a transgender man, I learned something different—the value of courage just to exist as myself in a world that doesn’t always understand or accept me.

Belonging has never been abstract for me. It’s something I’ve fought for, both in uniform and out of it. I know what it feels like to walk into a room and wonder if I’ll be safe. I know what it feels like to hide parts of myself just to make others comfortable. And I know what it feels like, finally, to be seen for who I truly am.

That’s why the work of belonging isn’t just professional for me—it’s deeply personal. At AmazeWorks, I get to channel that fight into something bigger than myself: creating classrooms where every child feels safe to be their full selves. Spaces where no student has to wonder if they matter. Where kids can learn, thrive, and dream without carrying the weight of exclusion on their shoulders.

For me, belonging is about more than inclusion. It’s about safety. It’s about joy. It’s about the quiet relief of knowing: “I am okay just as I am.” It’s about making sure that every child hears that message—not just once, but every single day.

I’ve seen what happens when belonging is absent. It wounds deeply and lingers for a lifetime. But I’ve also seen what happens when belonging is present. It changes everything. It heals. It empowers. It transforms.

That’s why I do this work. Because I believe in a future where every classroom, every community, is a place of belonging for everyone. And I’ll keep fighting for that—just as I always have.

Please fight along with us by donating to our organization to keep belonging alive.

With gratitude and love,

Ryan Kersey

#WeAreEnough #BringBelongingToLife