Lucky
October 28th, 2005
Last night I had the opportunity to attend a function for one of our clients that honored some of the significant people in their history. St. Francis is a hospital system that is very true to their roots and very much believes in healing their patients on every front – physical, emotional and spiritual. As I sat there, I began to think how lucky we are as a company to have clients that allow us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. St. Francis is already remarkable without Brains on Fire. So are the people that work there. But they asked us to find that greatness within them and expose it so their employees and patients can know what it is that makes them remarkable.
Sure, we believe in the mission of every client that we partner with (if not, we (gasp) turn them away). But to be a part of a group like St. Francis is an honor. And we count ourselves lucky for a relationship that goes far deeper than that of client/agency.
Other posts by Spike.
Danese says:
I have found Brains on Fire in the thread of research I’m accumulating in my gerontology studies at Portland Community College in Oregon. After raising four children and reaching my midfifties, I’m finally on my way to completing my bachelor’s degree. I have a burning desire to be a change-agent in the way we educate and communicate across generations. Lifelong learning is the catch phrase that seems to describe how older people are able to stay connected to the “real” world intellectually, emotionally and physically. Yet, our public education system is struggling and needs the kind of inspiration I hear in your description of the people you represent at St. Francis Hospital. Since we are a public institution our efforts to “light the fire” for students, faculty and staff is plagued with bureaucracy and frustration. My focus of study is to build awareness around the topic of intergenerational liaisons, collaboration and interdependence. I believe that we are living in a time when policies and practices of the past will be inevitably changed in regard to the aging process. For starters our gerontology students have formed a student resource initiative called the Wisdom Keepers. It’s our hope to become a place where older students and people in our community can come to find a listening ear, encouragement and resources to build a bright future. When we talk about the future of the baby boomers, the tendency to think “retirement” is commonplace, yet we know that many will not retire in the traditional sense because their identity is not in leaving what they have had but in creating something useful and significant before they leave this life. Reading your blog has inspired me. I look forward to hearing more of what you do and how fired up people become in following your initiatives.
February 21st, 2006 at 6:58 amOlivier Blanchard says:
We definitely need more people like Danese.
February 21st, 2006 at 6:58 am