July: A Month of “Belonging”

July 5, 2017

Every month we celebrate a different core pillar at Latham Centers. Recently you’ve read how we celebrated generosity at our Year-End Celebration. Throughout the month of July, the staff, residents, and Board of Directors celebrate Belonging. Lee Chamberlain, VP of Operations, wrote the below about this important concept.

“We all look for a place where we will be accepted.  The children we educate and the adults we support are looking for a place where they don’t have to pretend, and they can show up as their authentic selves. Their families seek the same: A place where they are understood.  A place that “gets it”.  We all want a place where we don’t have to try to fit in. We all want a safe place where we belong.

Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than our-selves.  It is a yearning so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often barriers to it and can lead to undesired consequences. Fitting in and belonging are not the same thing. Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted.  Belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.

It is this time of year that I look at all we, (as a community), have accomplished over the past year.  I am so proud of our staff because you create a sense of belonging for all who come to Latham and for all who visit and work here.  We are an amazing community!”