Captain’s Corner

Ahoy!

Welcome to the Harbour. Here you will find an extraordinary group of staff and Board members who have dedicated themselves to making a difference in their community.  They were drawn in by the need and they came to shine their lights into the darkness.

I am truly humbled and grateful to Captain such a crew.

In true nautical fashion we have 7 Stars we steer by as we navigate through the madness of systems and work towards meeting the needs of the people we serve which often times lay beyond the societal norm.  Our north star is the relationship one and it is embedded in all we do not just for our guests but the broader community and each other.

It is relationship that enables us to see past the addiction or mental illness or poverty. The people we serve have stories  that can bring us to our knees and we are constantly amazed at the resiliency of the human spirit.

I am the sort of Captain that can say all the right words until I’m afraid. Then I look for someone to blame. Then I start to realize the heaviness of the burden of the community. I get overwhelmed. I want to run away, abandon ship. I throw off my Captains hat and start swimming.

Like the staff and board of this organization it is the need of the people that has me swimming back and putting my Captain’s hat back on. The fact that they still get up every day and keep trying. Even loaded down with all the shame, stigma and discrimination the community throws at them, they still get up.

How on earth can I not go on with that sort of motivation?

I have never had a job that I loved more than this one. I have also never had a job that was as traumatic as this one.  All the wrinkles and ruts in my face prove it.

The Harbour is in me. It has shaped me in ways I’ve never thought possible. It attacks my belief system, it challenges my understanding but most of all it gives me the opportunity to shine my light into some extraordinary places.

What else can a Captain ask for?