Joy To The World

A few years back, before I held my current position at Imagine!, I engaged in an exercise designed to help Imagine! plan for the future. In the exercise, we answered a variety of hypothetical questions about how Imagine! would look in the future. One question, and the answer I gave at the time, really sticks out as I look at where we are now.

The question was, “What do we want our reputation to be like?” The answer I wrote at the time was, “Our customers and families will look forward to their next contact with us. The public will speak of our services with the same enthusiasm as it has of a local winning sports team.”

If you read my blog last week, you know that I am a fan (pun intended) of viewing the Imagine! community as a team. And I think that in some ways, that enthusiasm about Imagine! I dreamed of above has come to fruition. There are many people in our community who embrace our organization with gusto, including individuals we serve, their families, and other supporters.

Now, I’m not naïve. I know not everyone in our community wears an Imagine! logo or feels that way about Imagine!. But many do. And I think a key element in that enthusiastic support of Imagine! comes from a fundamental element of being part of a team – the joy that come arise when the team succeeds.

If a team is doing well, it brings joy to everyone involved. Professional and collegiate sports wouldn’t get the kind of attention they do if a lot people didn’t think it was fun. Even at the highest levels, athletes and teammates express joy when they do something well or they succeed at a difficult task.

 

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When we are able to succeed at Imagine!, it brings a great deal of joy. The people we serve are able to engage in their communities, their families see their loved ones expanding their horizons, and the community sees how individuals with a variety of intellectual disabilities can contribute in many meaningful ways.

I am proud to be part of team Imagine!, and I am thankful for the joy it continues to bring me.

Then again, what do I know?