Blog Archive
August 23, 2018
Looking Beyond the Surface
Looking Beyond the Surface What’s below the surface? What exists beyond the first glance? In our hurry-up world, it’s easy to believe that a snapshot gives a three-dimensional picture. We can easily accept that rhetoric is reality. We want to have simple explanations to complex issues. In a world filled… Read More
August 21, 2018
The Power of Community
The Power of Community In America, we receive constant messages that each person can do it all, be it all, do it all on their own. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities challenge that notion. Sometimes, they challenge it based on their need for our support. Sometimes, they challenge the… Read More
March 15, 2018
Inspire. Unite. Build.
Inspire. Unite. Build. Loneliness – it’s the newest public health crisis. Organizations as disparate as The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The New York Times, Fortune, and the British government are raising awareness of this issue and taking action to combat loneliness and the threat it poses to our ongoing health. Some studies indicate that… Read More
November 20, 2017
Finding Supportive Partners
Finding Supportive Partners Telling It Like He Sees It Thanks to two valued partners Charlie Sewich and Frank Grazzini we had the opportunity to host Senator Rich Draheim for a tour and visit of LBSA. Senator Draheim is our state senator, newly elected last fall. Generally, working with legislators, especially… Read More
July 18, 2017
Housing and Ethical Governance
Housing and Ethical Governance Affordable housing is under attack. It won’t get better until we as citizens demand that those who govern address this critical need in practical and creative ways. We need to prioritize and demand housing solutions in the same way that we are demanding change in the… Read More
May 1, 2017
Understanding the Safety Net
Understanding the Safety Net Poverty in America. It’s a charged issue. Opinions about how and why people end up impoverished run a wide gamut. Those opinions greatly impact public policy designed to create a safety net for people. For as long as I can remember, we’ve debated in the state… Read More
April 20, 2017
Celebrating Amazing Employees
Celebrating Amazing Employees Together, the people we support and our employees are the life blood of Laura Baker Services Association. With no one to support, we don’t exist. Without adequate numbers of employees, our ability to support people is limited. As we look ahead to Employee Appreciation Week, April 23–30,… Read More
March 31, 2017
Paving the Path, Together
Paving the Path, Together Community Building I love to think of the space between us as our gathering space … our agreement space … our community building space. It’s where the paths belong. This community building stuff is intense, hard work and wonderful. Defining the space between us is the… Read More
March 6, 2017
A New Perspective on Value-Based Payments
A New Perspective on Value-Based Payments I attended a conference recently on performance-based management. I was swimming in a sea of BIG ($500M+) corporate providers. In comparison, Laura Baker Services Association is a VERY small fish in this sea. At the core of the conference was how we pay for… Read More
February 3, 2017
Civic Engagement in Today’s World
Civic Engagement in Today's World Wherever I go, I hear that Americans don’t trust: Government Churches Big business Schools Any entity big enough to reduce their needs to a number Why? Generally, because their needs are not being met by these entities. Losing Small-town America My parents live in a… Read More