Hello Aspire Community.

Last month I wrote about Learning, one of the overarching goals of Aspire’s new strategic plan. This month I would like to talk about another strategic goal – Impact. Put simply, Impact is the result of our work facilitating change in the lives of the people we serve. If their lives are better today than they were yesterday, then we have made an impact. The beauty of this is we have an opportunity to have an impact every moment of every day. Here lies the connection between serving, person-centeredness, and impact. When we maintain presence, when we are aware of our role in the dynamics of our relationships, and when we place the other person at the center of our serving mindset, we are acting in a person-centered capacity and our presence can have an impact on the other person.

The net result of this relational dynamic forms the foundation of our role at Aspire. Ultimately, our job is to help that other person to grow and evolve. Our job is to make an impact on those who come to us for help and support, as well as on our colleagues with whom we share our Aspire lives.

We will be talking a great deal about person-centeredness and the person-centered approach in the coming months. We are all part of this conversation as we all have a part to play. This is a conversation that will, and must, happen throughout the agency in order for us to fulfill our mission of serving neurodiverse children and adults who are discovering their passions, unlocking potential, and thriving. We are all humans who need connection, and we connect with each other in various ways. The impact we have on one another is the result of our connections to those we serve and to each other.

The evolution of the agency over the last couple of years has brought us to this point. We are ready for the next important steps. Through adapting a person-centered perspective, our path for continued evolution is laid out. I urge you to take part in this journey, and I urge you to keep an open mind and open heart as we move forward. Ask questions. Listen fully to the response, and engage deeper in the conversation through more questioning. This is the process that creates impact. If we all engage in the process, our lives and the lives of those we serve will be better tomorrow than they are today.

I am excited by where we will find ourselves in time and, as always, I am humbled by you, your presence, and your work.

-Lou