Change – wayne centrone

I run every morning. Well, make those most mornings.

I run with a buddy from medical school who I have known for nearly 30 years. We take Rio, our family Standard Poodle.

As many of you know, we live in the Pacific Northwest, and, in the winter months – that means rain and mud. Some mornings I wash Rio with a hose after our runs; most days, I wipe him down with a towel. This morning, I grabbed a towel from the bin and pulled out a veritable antique. Practically thread-baren because of its age, the towel was one my wife and I purchased on a trip to Mazatlan, Mexico, many years ago. As I wiped off Rio, the towel began to shred and tear. It was falling apart in my hands.

Okay, look . . . here is the thing – all of this old towel stuff got me thinking. Life is filled with change. Sometimes, too much change.

In our current world, every day seems to bring a new reality. Old towels are the memories that will stick with us. Sure, their utility can start to diminish as the threads that hold them together fray, but that doesn’t mean the memories are any less potent or essential.

HBI is going through a lot of change. We are restructuring and reprioritizing. These changes are complex and, at times, feel a bit overwhelming. I keep reminding myself that this is a natural phase of our organizational development and growth. This year will be a big year for us—a year of intentionality and refinement. It is also a year of transition. We are building an organization that can transform child welfare services in Perú and Latin America. This shift in our organizational energy is a big deal.

HBI’s refocus on impacting the child welfare system does not mean we will stop caring for the people we serve. No, just the opposite. It means we are shifting our focus to impact the lives of individuals and reshape entire systems of care. This is a significant change – and it affects every aspect of our organization. Like the old towels of our past, we will move forward with the memories of the people and experiences that brought us to this new phase of our organizational development.

I am so proud of our HBI team. We are honored to work with such a fantastic group of committed supporters.