Cultivating Change

I worked in the garden yesterday. No, not our garden – my father-in-laws small vegetable garden.

Getting my hands dirty and working the soil, it was a powerful experience. There is a lot that goes into gardening. I know – this is where you can collectively say, duh … wayne.

My time in the dirt reminded me that our work, the work of helping children and families gain access to the services and supports they need to build the lives they deserve . . . well, its a lot like gardening.

Tending to the soil means prepping the ground, preparing the dirt, nurturing the plants, and cultivating a connection with nature. All of these little steps are critical to the success of the garden. It’s not any one thing, it’s the impact and influence of a synergy of intentional steps.

That is the work of Health Bridges. Our work is not the impact of any one program or project, it is the cumulative influence of our years of dedicated efforts. It is the intentional steps we take to work with local experts, thoroughly understand the challenges and opportunities, deeply understand and continually be humbled by culture, and connect with people.

We can’t measure our work in days or weeks, or even years. We must be committed to the long-term. We’re cultivating change that allows people to identify and utilize the support they need to build the lives they deserves. It is a lot like growing a garden . . . one turn of the shovel at a time.