We are passing through the shortest days of the year, the Winter Solstice is nine days away. I know I've mentioned it before but it's little wonder that cultures across the world created holidays that focused on coming together and creating light in the darkness.
It doesn't always have to be fire that creates light in our lives. Right now, personally, I am in the darkness with the illness of a family member. I'm juggling multiple appointments, caretaking duties, the holiday shopping, and working some hours. We've no clear path ahead of us in this illness and are really living life one day at a time, which makes sense since that is all any of us have. But it is also difficult as we are inclined to plan ahead, and want to know what we can expect.
Last night, I was at the Center for the Advisory Board meeting. It had been a while since the board had met, the past year has been marked by multiple hospitalizations for my husband, the search and move of the Center to a new home added to the workload for Center staff. We had staff members leave and worked for months with fewer people before we found new staff. Add another fundraising event in September and I guess you can say we've been busy.
Hindsight being 20/20 I wish I had found the time earlier to meet with the board. I left the Center last night energized, feeling supported and excited. These people are such bright lights, all dedicated to the mission of our center. I want to thank Kristen Saad our outgoing Chairperson for her service, not just in the last year but for the last seven years. Kristen has served not just on the board but as the walk chair for five years, through thick and thin and her own challenges she has been steadfast.
Congratulations to Lisa Thompson who is moving up to become Chair of the Board and to Christopher Sharry who will step into the position of Vice Chair. They both bring talents and energy that will benefit the Center and our families. Mia McDonald graciously agreed to continue as secretary for the board. Herb Cabral will be our new AFAM Liaison. We welcomed new board members Mary Ann Kane and Ryan Litchfield to the board.
We had a stimulating discussion about ways to meet the support needs of families who are juggling the demands of life with autism in the family. The use of technology that is available to us to include family members via video in Center groups and educational series. Chris Sharry has experience doing webinars and will be helping us in that regard. Carrie Noseworthy suggested we have some groups focus on how we can all better balance our lives, the demands of parenting, therapies, work and our relationships, while Jaya Pandey suggested a format she uses with her group for Indian parents that opens up meaningful discussions. Self Advocates Reggie and Ryan had some insights they shared which enriched the conversation, as always.
We all agreed that we need some parents of younger children to join us. There is a great benefit to the wisdom of veteran parents on the board but we want to hear from younger parents who have a different set of experiences raising their children with the advantage of having ABA services available. There's another aspect to that advantage, having people in your home all the time, finding ways to meet the financial drain of copays, staff leaving and having to work with new staff are some of the downsides. We will have an open meeting with board members and interested parents to discuss the challenges and how we can help meet your needs.
I'm excited and so are the members of the advisory board to meet the challenges before us. We hope you will join us in creating new opportunities for individuals on the Spectrum and their families in Central Massachusetts. Nobody can do it all but everyone can do something and together we can do it all. Stay tuned.
Have a great week.