Sarah Stibbe Damaskos of Montclair wasn’t completely surprised with the Trump victory. She recalls an October visit to Ohio where she met Trump supporters, and heard bits of their stories from a pastor. She laments that Democrats did not put more effort into understanding these voters and is disheartened by the lack of kindness that has come with this election. “The ugly crudeness is not how my parents raised me and not what I believe in.” Within her own family, the 2016 holiday season brought an even greater desire to give back to her community. In addition to her support of The Montclair Scholarship Fund, Sarah recently partnered with John Wisniewsk and Jon Bonestee of HackNCraftNJ to create Laptop Upcycle, dedicated to bringing technology to students in need. From the women and children she meets through Laptop Upcycle, she sees the extra efforts, missed recesses and general stress put upon families who lack a computer needed to complete daily Google Classroom assignments (used throughout middle and high school in Montclair). Sarah marches for these women and for all women. She wants their struggles known, their voices heard. “Women are the backbone of family life and why people don’t recognize that and support it is a complete mystery to me. Where is the downside?”