Hearts and Hands - Volunteer Thanks

2016 was an amazing year.  So many people volunteered with our organization to make dreams come true. Visit our facebook page in the coming months for our volunteer spotlight.  We share this poem to honor their care and courage:

Dedicated hearts like yours are not so easy to find.
It takes a special person to be so generous and kind.

To care so much is a quality all too rare
Yet you give of your time and talents, for all in need to share

So thank you for sharing your gifts as a volunteer, we're privileged to work with you
We want you to know how appreciated you are, not just today, but the whole year through

Listening Leadership

As a leader in life, are you a good listener to the people around you? The swahili word for "listen" is "kusikilisa" (koo-see-key-lee-zah).  Holistic listening and care of the whole person is one of the tenets of African culture.

Teresa Hoover, the first African American woman executive of a major denominational department for 22 years, served as a role model while training numerous colleagues to add listening to their leadership tool kit.

When we open up the channels of communication and really listen, here is the gift we offer to others:

Eyes - I see what you say.

Ears - I hear what you say.

Heart - I feel what you say.

Attention - I value who you are and what you say.

Only when a leader does these things is she or he able to build trust and inspire people to collaborate with them each day.