“If you wait until you can do everything for everybody, instead of something for somebody, you’ll end up doing nothing for nobody.” ~ Malcom Bane
“Do Something.” This was the core message of a keynote address delivered by Leonard Pitts, a nationally-syndicated columnist and winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, recently at the America’s Promise NW GradNation Summit held right here in Bellevue on November 8th. As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s a prompt to take pause and reflect. As I do, I’m reminded of how I’m inspired and bolstered by the individuals who step up to shoulder their part in this collective work of Eastside Pathways to mobilize the entire community in support of all children from cradle to career. Individuals who represent organizations, schools, parent groups, neighborhoods, faith-based groups or simply themselves are joining in because they are moved to “do something”.
Yes, it’s going to take these individuals, organizations and even more to continue to advance our work and I’m proud to say progress has not been paralyzed in the face of perfection. I’m thrilled to announce that in late December, Eastside Pathways will publish our first Community Scorecard (Baseline Report). The report is the culmination of hard work from many people and will represent our best thinking around a set of goals and outcomes which the Eastside Pathways partnership has agreed upon and is a set of indicators that help measure the status of these goals and indicators. This is the community coming together to “do something” around shared measurement.
Continuing to contribute an irreplaceable amount of passion, drive and focus on the work of Eastside Pathways’ is our volunteer staff of 9 dedicated individuals. The contributions of this team cannot be overstated, and there are never enough ways to express my gratitude. In order to deliver on the five keys for shared success in collective impact – a common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication and backbone staff – we continue to welcome new volunteers. Yet, as stated by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) and the nonprofit consulting firm FSG, there are specific roles for a lean backbone staff. As such, Eastside Pathways will be hiring for Communications and Administrative Associate, a Data Officer and a part-time Volunteer Manager by the end of the year.
As we enter into the holiday season, I’m thankful for those who choose not to wait for perfection and jump in to “do something”. I look forward to welcoming more people into the work of Eastside Pathways to ensure that every child has the opportunity for a positive, productive life. Until then, I wish you all a warm and Happy Thanksgiving.
Stephanie Cherrington, Executive Director