| From Our Director: The First 100 Days |
When I was told it was time to write my first "From Our Director"
letter for the Parent to Parent of Vermont newsletter, I will admit
that I didn't know where to start. In a way, it was a "First 100
Days" kind of observation - but so much has happened. What would I
include, and how would I avoid leaving important things out? Then
I found out I had limited space in which to capture all my thoughts.
When
confronted with such a dilemma, I'll admit that I first struggled to
find the simplest approach. In this case, that meant general
observations about the many people, conversations, and ideas to which I
have been exposed in the last few months.
The
first observation I wanted to share was the amount of enjoyment I have
gotten from meeting with our staff, partners, parents and friends
around the state. When my visits have put me on the road to my
destination - whether it was Newport, St. Albans, Winooski, Burlington,
Waterbury, Montpelier, Rutland or Brattleboro and too many places in
between to mention - the journey itself has been full of
appreciation. As a born-and-raised Vermonter, I cannot express
adequately how good it is to be back in this most beautiful of places
and to spend time with the people that have made this special place
their home.
One
of the things I have heard often as I travel is that there are so many
organizations in the state that it gets complicated to remember them
all and to know exactly what each one does. While I will admit
that getting a handle on the names and acronyms has been a challenge, I
believe the plain truth is that the large number of organizations
compared to the state's modest population is reflective of the great
desire by so many people to improve the human condition - to make sure
that all ideas and people are counted. That is a difficult
philosophy to criticize.
Lately,
I am often reminded of the independent spirit that is in the hearts and
minds of the people that have made home in Vermont and I remind myself
of what a great gift that is - and I think about how it would make
Ethan Allen himself smile to see the independent spirit flourishing so
very much in his beloved state.
I
am often confronted with the reality that we are all part of a most
interesting set of contradictions. As a state, we are viewed from
the outside as "liberal", but so often the views we express are
conservative. We are small in size, but we talk about the affect
we can and do have at the national level. We are constantly
changing things in an effort to get them just right, though we are
resistant to change simply for it's own sake. We recognize our
problems, but instead of making excuses for them, or ignoring them
altogether, we try to correct them. What all of this means, of
course, is that there is never a shortage of ideas or people working to
improve the the lives of those we are committed to serving.
What
I wish all of our stakeholders to know is that Parent to Parent of
Vermont is a wonderful amalgamation of all that makes our state
great. We represent a diversity of backgrounds dedicated to a
singular purpose the betterment of the human condition.
There
is in this organization a condition that can only exist because of
years of compassionate leadership, hard work and support by all our
friends. That condition is best evidenced by the community's deep
commitment to our goals and its broadening support for our
programs.
Lastly,
as we look ahead to a bright and hopeful future, we focus on the goal
that establishes the vision and mission of Parent to Parent of Vermont
to nurture and support families in each community around the state. On
behalf of all the individuals and families that have benefited in the
past, and will continue to benefit in the future, from the efforts of
all the people associated with Parent to Parent of Vermont, thank
you.
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