News from the Noteworthy:
Tell them you’re grateful

With Christmas only two days away, I am filled with thoughts of family, friendship, and community. But, what is family? How do we define community? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a family is “a social group made up of parents and their children,” and a community is “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” While these definitions are technically correct, what they fail to include is the joy, the pain, the triumph, the fear, the frustration, and the excitement that we share with the people who we consider our family. Or the many
families and family members who we choose.

My life is made richer by my family and my community (and I consider far more people than my wife and three sons as my family). But what I’d like to spend more time considering today is my community. Like my family, my community is much more than just the town I live in. It is Delaware and Otsego Counties, Oneonta, Hartwick College — all places I have spent valued time in my life. It is New York State, this beautiful part of our country filled with as much diversity in nature as we see in the number people who choose to live here. And it is Springbrook, a place I am fortunate to call both my employer and my community.

With these thoughts in mind, I am excited to welcome over 100 new people to the Springbrook community. These amazing people reside in, work for, or have a family member at one of four new Springbrook community homes. It is fitting that we welcomed these four new homes at this time of year, who joined Springbrook on December 1. Now, the people who live in these community homes have access to Springbrook’s full breadth of life-long services. These include day support options, alternative housing options, employment supports, and even the opportunity to self-direct their own services — all ways for a person to not just live, but to live a life of purpose and fulfillment. I can’t wait to see all we help each other achieve!

The teamwork that has made it possible to bring these four new homes to our community is in keeping with why I hold Springbrook so close to my heart. Thanks to the collective work across many departments, the transition for the homes was relatively seamless. The enthusiasm and willingness of countless people to take on this challenge exemplifies the strength of our community. Undertaking the process of adding four new homes has not come without difficulties, but was made joyful by my coworkers. As the leader of the transition team responsible for bringing these new homes to Springbrook, I am also so grateful to the people of these new homes — each with their own joys, fears, triumphs, talents, and challenges — who have trusted in us to provide supports, services, and employment. We do not take this trust lightly — it is a privelege that we are proud to embrace.

This holiday, I encourage you to reach out to those around you to let them know how grateful you are to have them as part of your family and your community, be they coworkers, friends, or family. And, Merry Christmas. May we enjoy this holiday with the knowledge that we share a wonderful community!

Seth J. Haight is Chief
Operating Officer, Springbrook