The idea of "rugged individualism" has been part of our collective myth for centuries. The images of the pioneer, cowboy, or even the Lone Ranger struggling against insurmountable odds are enthralling. Yet this individualist approach pales in significance to the power created in partnerships. Whether it was the struggle for independence in our American Revolution or the search for the cure of disease, it was the collaborative effort of people coming together for a single purpose that created success.
For the past 10 years the We Care People have worked to create partnerships within our communities so that people could recieve the care they needed in order to live the life they deserved.
Partnerships like the ones we have with Law Enforcement, Courts, DD Boards, Health Departments, Schools, Faith Community, CSB, Aging, and Housing have created many portals for anyone in need to find and receive help. What we have all created is stunning! It is a system of care that is always under constrtuction; a work in progress. And it must be a work in progress because as we learn and change and improve so too our systems must learn, and change and improve.
More partners means more opportunities to grow and we welcome that with open arms. It is a work that will never be finished.
This week we are inviting more agencies to come together with us to not only learn what we do but we hope to contribute to our learning of what needs to be done.
"No man is an island," observed John Donne, "No man is an island, entire of itself . . . because I am involved in mankind." What is true for each of us, our need for connection with others, is true for agencies, organizations and systems. In our partnerships there is power that enables us to discover new approaches that create better lives and a better community.
Thank you to all who have walked with us, learned with us, and created with us this wonderful and ever growing system of care over the past decade.
Mike Schoenhofer
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