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STAR Committee Meeting: New Year, Same Me (and Same Agency)

As we enter the third week of the year, many people will soon abandon their New Year’s Resolutions if they haven’t already. The STAR Committee gathered recently to talk about resolutions and to reflect on the last 12 months. 

The committee covered an array of topics ranging from goal setting to compartmentalizing stress in different areas of life. The group remains an open invite to employees and all are welcome to drop-in once a month at their leisure.

At the core of the conversation was the notion that sometimes New Years Resolutions can be rooted in shame. That sometimes we’re led to believe we’re not “good enough” as we are, so we need to lose weight, be more positive and strive to do better against all odds. Despite these annual pressures to “do better and be better”, maybe there’s no improvements to be made in the first place and that’s totally okay. Maybe we’re allowed to accept ourselves as we are, perfectly imperfect and striving for micro goals throughout the year without external expectations for improvements. Whether you decide to set goals or not is up to you, and committee members are here to support one another throughout remainder of this year.

As we usher in a new administration, we remain hopeful that the people and interests we lobby for are well attended to in moving forward. The End the Wait Initiative is a cause worth rooting for, and despite the recent budget cuts, we have a lot to look forward to this year. Our nonprofit arm, BACPAC, is seeing a resurgence. And our DEI Council and Committee has broken up into subcommittees, in an effort to tackle inequities across multiple fronts. Serving people with IDD is at the core of what we do, and we’re optimistic that by the end of this year, we will have seen major improvements across multiple teams to ultimately enhance the services we provide. On behalf of the STAR Committee, we wish everyone a Safe and Happy New Year. Our steadfast dedication to the people and families we serve remains unwavering. Please remember to take care of yourselves and each other.

The STAR Committee serves employees of Support with three objectives guiding the group: Fostering a positive work culture, promoting employee appreciation, and encouraging self-care. The Committee understands what a challenging year 2020 had been and will continue to promote internal opportunities for connection within the organization. In addition, further considerations to explore and strengthen relationships by facilitating one-time events online, mini-series for wellness and email campaigns will be explored, as well. For PRS to connect with their peers, please see our weekly LIFE Club updates on the blog for more information.