Summertime brings with it the promise of hot days (some more than others) sunshine, vacation, and abandon to enjoy the things we love outdoors with family. The summer and year of 2020 however has been a unique one that has challenged all we know about the world. Boise is in the dreaded red zone during a pandemic. We argue over masks, civil liberties, and health. Race issues are bubbling to the surface causing harm to persons of color. Add to that an extremely divided country over a presidential election that has everyone from both sides of the aisle on edge, and the word unique really doesn’t cover the half of it.
I don’t know how to fix any of it. I wish I had answers and guidance that I could give to others to put all of our minds at ease. I’m in this as much as all of you and the underlying anxiety of it all is pervasive. I’m an action kind of person, so this is what our Board of Directors and our centers are doing to address what we can in the above collection of worries, and we invite others to join us on this journey should you wish.
- We are taking any and all precautions outlined by the CDC and CDH (Central District Health) in Idaho and applying them consistently in our programs. This includes the wearing of masks for children 3 and above. We continue to do our part to slow the spread of Coronavirus and protect our children, families, and teachers as much as we are able to.
- All of our leadership, the board of directors, the directors of each center are participating in the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, Human Rights Certificate. We know we need to continue the work and never stop insuring that we are living the values of our organization and embracing diversity and humanity in meaningful, intentional ways. Our goal is that every person in our organization has an opportunity to take the training in the coming year.
- We are committed to promoting everyone’s right to vote and encouraging voter registration for our supporters, parents, and families.
It feels good to have a plan. It feels good to know what actions we can take to right the world. It takes courage to face many of the issues we are dealing with today and in the future, but seeing a path forward is half the battle. I hope your path forward is visible and if it isn’t that making a plan is on your radar because once a plan is in place, the focus becomes about what one can do instead of what is happening that is out of our control.
Happy summer of 2020. I hope we see you at our Drive-in Event on September 30th out in Caldwell! It should be some good old fashion fun.