As we welcome in a new year, we realize it is a time of resolutions. Starting off with the best intentions, oftentimes we make the same ones: exercise more, spend less, eat better, work smarter. The first month, maybe even the second goes well because we are focused. Imagine a fitness center filled to capacity with a line outside on January 2nd but by March 1st there are no more than 10 people getting a good sweat in. Why? It’s not about a lack of motivation or change in attitude. Most times, it is because we stopped focusing on what we want most and begin to focus on what we want now.
This year, we at
Safe & Sound Hillsborough
commit to focus on what we want most. We want a community brought together to focus on solutions to the issues we face. Instead of the “right now” mode of just talking about issues, we commit to working together with residents, public officials, agencies, churches, mosques, free thinkers, students, parents, teachers, and anyone else with an ear to listen and hands to help.
2018 showed us that it is imperative for mental health solutions to be a priority in our community. We will work to increase awareness, identify gaps, and determine services available as well as the issues surrounding access to them.
2018 showed us that our youth are in desperate need for mentors. We will work smarter with our current and potential partners to make sure our youth know that there are people here in this community that care about THEIR success…whether anyone gets credit or not.
2018 showed us that we have to work on identifying gaps in policies that shape our environment. We will continue to work with all of the agencies surrounding Safe & Sound Hillsborough to review these policies and see where we can bridge the gaps for the betterment of our residents.
We will continue our community events, youth programming, summer slide prevention projects, annual conference, mental health first aid training and other initiatives. We want to sustain those NOW and EVERYDAY. But what we want MOST and will work harder than ever before to achieve, is getting the experts involved. Those are the residents, the youth, those that are most at risk, to help us in our efforts.
We look forward to many new relationships and partnerships in 2019. We want most in this new year to know that we are ALL carrying out the vision of Safe & Sound Hillsborough:
Working together to build strong families, safe schools and healthy communities.
Happy New Year!
