CEO Lou Giramma shares what he’s thankful for this season, reflecting on Aspire’s community of care and its dedication to kindness, belonging, and hope.
Hello Aspire Community,
Happy November. We’ve turned back the clocks, and as the days and nights get colder and we prepare for the inevitable winter to come, I’m trying to embrace this month of giving thanks and reflect on all that I’m thankful for. This year it has been particularly hard to make a robust list of what we are thankful for. The world around Aspire sees wars and genocide in too many places. It sees the reemergence of autocratic leadership. It sees too many people hungry and struggling in too many ways in order to survive. And, of course, it sees a world getting much warmer, creating extreme, destructive weather events. Our social media platforms and news feeds bring us too much “bad news” on an hourly basis.
When I think about Aspire, though – what we stand for and all that we have accomplished – I am thankful. We are an organization made up of truly caring people. We have journeyed through our respective lives, growing and developing in our distinctive and diverse ways, yet coming together in this community of caring, this community of caring for others. The concept of caring is certainly the focal point around which the Aspire ethos orbits. While we use many different words and phrases to describe this ethos of caring – person-centeredness, support, service, training, growth and development, etc.—it all centers around the community of caring that we have created together.
We care for and nurture each other so that we can care for and nurture the people we serve. Our collective goal is to treat each other well and with deep kindness. We come together without malicious intent and without hidden agendas. We come together to learn from each other and to give each other the gift of an organization where everyone feels they belong and feels a sense of connection. We can be the collective butterfly of our logo. We can flap our organizational wings and create change in the world. For this, and for all of you, I am truly thankful.
What we do at Aspire is the antidote, a refuge if you will, to the forces of self-interest, greed, patriarchy, and self-righteousness of the world at large. I cannot think of anything greater or more impactful to be thankful for. We collectively make up the Aspire ethos. We thrive in this community of caring that we have grown and nurtured. Anyone who touches it, or is touched by it, can feel the warmth it exudes. I am so grateful for this. I am thankful for all of you who are connected to and are a part of the Aspire community. I am especially grateful for what this all means for Aspire’s future as we continue to perpetuate, refine, and solidify our community to be a place where all are welcome with open hands, hearts, and minds.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
With much warmth, caring, and thanks,
Lou