Dear Wellspring Community:
It is hard to believe it has been just over a month since I last wrote about our planning for this public health crisis. So much for our plans. It feels like each of “the world” and “our world” has dramatically changed in what would otherwise have been considered a very short time. As unnerving as it may feel, as always, we have a choice how to respond: we can choose to focus on the loss, or we can choose to focus on the blessing. As our beloved Founder, Mary Lou, routinely quips: Life, indeed, is what happens while we’re making other plans. Thankfully, so much life has been happening“here” at Wellspring, this past month.
First and foremost, we believe and are immensely grateful that all of us within Wellspring Community are relatively safe and healthy. As I said last month, the health and wellbeing of our STARS, staff, families, and entire community remains our highest priority. At the same time, we remain steadfastly committed to our Mission to enrich and empower the lives of, and to create meaningful community for, our STARS. I am profoundly proud of the incredibly resourceful Mission work of Wellspring’s dedicated staff during this unprecedented time. It has been breathtaking to watch them selflessly serve and thereby shine. Please join me in celebrating and thanking them, as many of you already have done.
Wellspring is likewise committed to proactively evolving the way the broader community thinks about and treats adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Too often, even we disciples, never mind the broader population, treat the STARS as if they are fragile or innocent or naïve or in need of teaching. As it turns out, this crisis has once again demonstrated to all of us the indelible resiliency, maturity, hope, purpose, kindness, loyalty, faith and wisdom of our STARS. I am deeply grateful for the gift that has been bestowed upon me to learn, relentlessly, from our STARS in these troubled times. The moniker STARS has seldom, if ever, been more apropos. Please join me in celebrating and thanking them, as not enough of us have already done.
Lastly, we are amazed and humbled by the outpouring of well wishes, prayers, gratitudes, praises, and financial support received from our Wellspring Community. Thank you for championing us always, particularly in such seemingly groundless times as these; along with our beloved STARS, you have become our grounding, ever more than usual. If you have any questions regarding how you can continue to support us, please feel free to reach out. God bless all of you.
Humbly and gratefully, on behalf of our Board, Leadership Team and entire Staff,
Bob