Each year Lakeside takes a day to reflect on last year’s statistics, success, achievements and so much more. This is a joint meeting of encouragement between our staff and Board of Directors which underlines all the activities of the 2023-24 school year. For all of us it is a highlight of the year and an illuminating day of collaborative impact.
Lakeside’s programs have profound impact to school districts, parents, students, professionals, organizations, and communities. Our direct service programs and schools reach over 7500 students. Our school training reaches thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of students. Our professional development trauma training extends to thousands of professionals who are actively engaged in the lives of individuals and families who have been impacted by varied forms of trauma.
The programs of Lakeside are effective because of the well-trained and compassionate staff that works each day to carry out our mission of helping students, families and systems of care overcome the impact of trauma and adversity. Therefore, part of our mission is to support and nurture our staff so that they can be effective in their intense and meaningful work.
In this meeting there are a number of stories of loss, grief, tragedy, relational and emotional impact and a great deal of healing that occurs to those we serve in our programs. Students share their victories. Parents share their appreciation and gratitude for what has happened to their sons and daughters. Professionals acknowledge how our training has revolutionized their lives. Schools recognize that they can be far more effective in their academic success with their students because they are trained to manage their classrooms more effectively. Organizations are grasping new values for how they manage staff and clients with a trauma-responsive lens. The impact of Lakeside is significant and reaches to many parts of the world with our training and consultation to a vast audience.
Often as mission-driven organizations touching so many individuals, we do not stop to recognize how meaningful our work can be to those in our programs. The exercise of recognizing and celebrating our achievements is so important to encourage our leadership, our staff, and our volunteer Board of Directors. It empowers us all to persevere in our work each and every day to bring healing to so many who need our support and care.
I do want to thank our leadership, our staff and our Board of Directors for their diligent work of support to each other, our clients, families, systems of care and our communities. It is an amazing experience to witness the summation of all of our activities that have had such a powerful effect to thousands of lives. I feel very privileged to be a part of such a place of healing and hope in the mission of Lakeside. It is both gratifying and empowering to continue our work into the 2024-25 year.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
One Comment
I enjoyed reading this Gerry! I am always encouraged and excited to hear all that is happening within our organization and how lives are being impacted by each of our programs and services. I come away so encouraged and refueled as we begin our school year. All of the staff could not do our jobs without the support of our Administration and Executive Administration. Having training, emphasizing self-care, being able to collaborate with administration, directors and staff creates a special atmosphere at Lakeside. That’s why people stay. I am learning more and more just how rare this is and it is my privilege to serve and be used by God. Thank you and I continue to pray for what God has next for Lakeside and for each of our staff.