A note from Trish Thacker
As I reflect on the past year, I’m grateful for how our community has stood with Guild. It’s been a year of change and challenge in the world around us, and we’ve felt those shifts in our daily lives and in our work. Local, state, federal, and international communities – all are affected by change. Change that is happening, change that might happen, change that hasn’t happened yet but will, change that hasn’t happened but might … this ambient activation hangs in the air, and we all feel it. And for many, it’s exhausting.
Recently, a client was telling me about the practices she uses to stay balanced while experiencing this ambient activation. She talked about how important it is to her to stay connected to her people: her treatment team, her friends and family, saying that her people help her stay grounded. And I said to her, “Sometimes we need hope with shoes on.” And she looked me in the eye and said, “That’s right. That’s what we need.”
So let’s talk about hope with shoes on.
Hope with shoes on requires three things: hope (of course), courage, and grit.
- Hope believes in the possibility of a better future, that our own actions can bring about positive change. Hope is the foundation for vision and motivation.
- Courage empowers action in the face of fear and uncertainty and allows us to either take those important first steps or to endure when outcomes are not guaranteed. Often, it’s both. Courage transforms hope into effort even when the path is difficult.
- Grit drives perseverance and passion for the long-term. Grit enables us to act bravely not just once, but over and over again. Grit persistently overcomes obstacles and adapts to challenges along the way. Grit sustains both hope and courage over time by proving that the hope and the courage were true and real.
Hope envisions. Courage activates. Grit sustains.
Put together, hope, courage and grit create a cycle where vision, action and perseverance are continually reinforced. This cycle empowers people and communities to achieve meaningful, lasting progress — even in the face of significant uncertainty and difficulty. This cycle of hope, courage and grit … this is hope with shoes on.
From this perspective of operating with hope, courage, and grit, let’s take a look at Guild’s services. Guild provides four categories of service that wrap around people experiencing significant mental health challenges. These challenges could be their first episode, or they could be ongoing and persistent challenges requiring long-term support. And these four categories of support help people remain in the communities they call home.
- Navigation — We help people identify what they need, find where it exists in their community, and then work to connect them to that support.
- Community based mental health — Intensive Residential Treatment Services, Assertive Community Treatment, Targeted Case Management, Community Support Program.
- Supported employment — Individualized placement and support. Helping people find work they love that loves them back.
- Homeless outreach and housing support — Meeting people where they are and connecting them to housing and services
We offer these services from a person-first perspective, asking, “What are your goals and needs?” so that services are shaped by the individual. Our goal in serving people and in supporting staff is always to communicate: I see you. You matter. You’re not alone.
So in our day-to-day work, hope with shoes on looks like:
Meeting you where you are.
Walking with you on the journey.
Connecting you with what you need.
Holding on and showing up.
From this perspective, and carrying these values, the question is not, “What are we going to do?” The question is: “Who are we going to be?”
We are grounded by our commitment to person-first, uninterrupted service. This requires continually monitoring our environment and managing resources with an eye to the future. Effectively stewarding our resources is a daily practice. We prioritize transparency, accountability, and support in order to increase efficiency — doing everything we can with what we have. We partner with community resources to enhance — not duplicate — services. And in this season of uncertainty, we remain nimble, adapting quickly to meet emerging needs while staying grounded in our mission and values. Our goal is to make every contribution count, so donors can be confident that their generosity truly changes lives.
I invite you to join in creating a picture together — a vision of Guild as we stand today. We often think of Guild as a single entity, but the reality is much more powerful. As Maya Angelou once said, “I come as one. I stand as 10,000.” And Guild stands as 10,000! Let’s build that picture together.
Right now, you’re hearing from me. But that’s just the start. That’s one. Now, standing with me, add the 200+ dedicated staff who deliver services and provide operational support every day. Next, add the thousands of people we serve—our clients whose courage and hope drive everything we do. Then, add everyone who loves and supports them. Now add our many community partners. To this group, add Guild’s community of supporters. And finally, add yourself. As a reader, advocate, or supporter, your presence is an integral part of this network.
This is Guild today: standing as 10,000. Filled with hope, courage, and grit. As people join our community one by one, and as the 10,000 grows, just imagine the difference we can make together in the years ahead. And remember that the impact we are creating is collective impact. It’s all of us. That’s hope with shoes on.
