I am so grateful to walk into work and know that I am home.
2020 has been quite the year, often full of heartbreak, loneliness, discomfort, fear, loss, and discouragement (some might even say – a dumpster fire of a year!).
And yet – we so often hear Outside In staff sharing words of gratitude and appreciation, and we thought our community would appreciate experiencing these messages too.
We hope they bring you some joy!
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I am so grateful to work alongside folks who care deeply about each other, our clients, and the integrity of our organization. I’m constantly heartened by the ways my coworkers live their values every day.
~Lydia M, Outreach and Enrollment Specialist
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I am grateful for our Kitchen Supervisors and volunteers, who make magic out of whatever miscellaneous foods are donated to Outside In week by week. They not only ensure that our participants get a warm and delicious meal, they go out of their way to prepare food that our youth with allergies and other restrictions can eat, when so many other food programs have a ‘take it or leave it’ approach.
~Lindsay H, Housing Case Manager
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I am incredibly grateful to work alongside a group of people so driven by compassion and radical acceptance. Though we may not always agree, I feel confident that every person I’m honored to call a colleague cares deeply for the wellbeing, health, and rights of all humans in our community, and that we collectively share an earnest desire to be of service, to contribute positively to the world, and to reduce harm and suffering. That alone makes Outside In a truly special place. On top of that, I am continuously inspired by the amazing creativity, innovation, dedication, and courage of so many in our organization.
And – I am grateful for our clients who show us over and over that…ee are not defined by our pasts AND it is ok to be impacted by them. We can need time and support to heal AND be pursuing our dreams at the same time. We can be working towards growth and change AND be proud of who we are now. We can lean on others AND be strong and resilient. (And so much more)
~Caroline J, Volunteer Manager
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I am really grateful for OI’s specific brand of humor. It has been really helping me get by lately; everyone here cracks me up, and I love that we build community with the population we serve and with one another through laughter.
~Alex T, Peer Support Specialist, Behavioral Health
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I am so grateful to walk into work and know that I am home. Before I became an employee of Outside In, I was a patient. I was treated with respect, kindness and without judgment. Outside In has saved my life and I get to come to work every day to give back what was given to me.
~Beverley L, Medical Assistant
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I am grateful for my amazing and compassionate co-workers, our union, having affordable health insurance, being able to be openly out as queer, and the freedom to be so self-expressive (whether that be through dying my hair an unusual color or dressing punk rock).
~Beth H, Records and Credentialing Specialist
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I am so grateful for my community at Outside In. This pandemic has been so difficult, and my colleagues continue to show up for work, advocating for better systems of support. I learn with and from them every day.
~Emily D, SNAP Outreach and Education Coordinator
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I’m grateful for the potential each day brings for growth, change, compassion, and love.
~Lori S, Development Director
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With so much stacked against us, so grateful to have a job that makes me feel like I’m positively impacting my community, rather than contributing to the dumpster fire that is our current state of everything.
~Maura A, Outreach Operations Supervisor
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Ericka Y, Outside In’s Revenue Cycle Manager, shared this meaningful quote by Melody Beattie:
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
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I am thankful for Outside In and the hard-working staff for all the passionate support, love, and care they bring everyday to our community.
~Anni Z, Controller
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I am grateful for working with impeccable people. My coworkers are endlessly dedicated to social justice and our clients, and I feel lucky that I get to work alongside them and learn from them every day.
~Clara W, Housing Navigator
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I am grateful to still be able to work during these times when a lot of people are out of work, and I am grateful that I work on the mobile van with such a great team. GO MOBILE OUTREACH TEAM!
~Marcia B, Medical Assistant
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I’m grateful to be in a position where I see such an outpouring of kindness and generosity from people in the community as they give, helping Outside In to serve the participants in our programs — especially the occasional “love notes” to Outside In for helping them or a loved one in the past.
~Brad B, Development Coordinator
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Outside In is a place where I am encouraged to think beyond what I know. There are so many voices here, and no one problem or task has one solution. I enjoy being surrounded by people who bring a multitude of voices, experiences, knowledge, and ideas to everything we do. As a fairly linear person, this helps me break out of my comfort zone and approach things in ways I never would.
~Rachel C, Administrative Assistant, Youth Department
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I appreciate that our team shows up ready to work toward our mission every single day, no matter what. I appreciate that our financial supporters recognize that the work we do is important and support us in delivering services in a way that is driven by the needs of the youth that we serve every day.
~Amanda H, Employment and Education Manager
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I am grateful to be a part of an organization filled with so many dedicated and compassionate people. These are hard times and seeing the many creative and innovative ways our staff have worked to ensure we can ease the suffering and provide care to those struggling in our community leaves me humbled and proud to be part of Outside In. I am grateful to our generous supporters who have joined us in this effort and do so much to make our work possible.
~Tess A, Major Gifts Officer
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There are so many things that grind us down, so many hurtful, scary, and threatening things about the world we live in, the field we work in and the complexity that makes up each of our lives. I am so grateful to be connected to a community of people committed to the principles of care, compassion, perseverance and scrappiness exemplified by this agency. I am grateful for the realness and the kindness of my colleagues; for their courage and creativity in service of health justice, in service of a meaningful and impactful work environment and in service of a future we’re proud to build together. Thank you, everyone.
~Sophia W, Quality Improvement Manager
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I am so incredibly grateful for my colleagues at Outside In. Every day, they SHOW UP for our clients and patients – and for each other. They are constantly teaching me new things and offering new perspectives and ideas. I can’t imagine a more dedicated, compassionate, and affirming group of people than the amazing crew that I have the honor and privilege of working with at Outside In!
~Nicki D, Development and Communications Manager
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I wanted to share this reflection. It always reminds me of the importance of your attitude. As attitude is everything. We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it. This is one of my favorite stories about what I like to call an attitude of gratitude. To always be grateful. And figure out how to make the best of what you have. It’s your life, love it.
~Suleybi Ozuna, East Clinic Support Coordinator
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
“Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.”
So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
“H-M-M, ” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.”
So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
“Well,” she said, “Today I’m going to wear my hair in a ponytail.”
So she did and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and
noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head….
“YEAH!” she exclaimed, “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”
-Author Unknown
Thank you!
It is because of you – our community –
that Outside In is able to save the lives of thousands of people each year.
We would love to hear from you!
Please feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and questions with us.
We are grateful for your support!
Your support of Outside In creates health and hope for the more than 11,000 people we serve every year. We can’t say it enough: THANK YOU!