Passion and Resiliency

Over the past few days I have attended several luncheons and breakfasts, worked with groups of people on federal proposals, worked with others on local collaborative projects, and gone to some annual and final site visits for projects that the Health Foundation has funded. I have come away from all of these activities amazed by the passion people have for their work and the resiliency of the human spirit.

In each of these activities, there is someone leading the charge for the project. This person is passionate about either the specific project or the target population. This passion is obvious in the intensity of the conversations, the willingness to work long hours, the single-minded focus on the goal. Many times this passion is infectious...everyone else working on the project becomes passionate about the cause as well. Sometimes we see passion that is fleeting – like a love affair, the project dies when the initial burst of enthusiasm ends. However, some projects or agencies are like a lasting relationship – the passion is not always obvious but it is there under the surface to keep everyone energized and focused on the goal.

The other thing that I have noticed in this work is the resiliency of the people who work in and who come for help from these projects and agencies. These folks keep at it even when they see no reward at first. The staff see the potential of the people in the programs, even when those people don't see it themselves. The advocates focus on the work that could be done if things were a little different. The community members keep seeing the strengths in their communities and the need to connect with each other. And those who have been beaten down by addiction, mental illness, poverty, or homelessness, keep getting up, and, with the support of others, finally are able to stand and walk and look others in the eye with pride and a true feeling of self-worth.

Passion and resiliency – the reasons I love this work.