Wendy Crann, Executive Director of Working Animals Giving Service for Kids
It's officially gone; 2018 that is. Without my consent, time passed. And the older I get I feel a certain urgency to have used my time wisely; said enough, seen enough, done enough. Because the truth is, that time is not the great teacher; it is our experiences that we learn from.
And we certainly packed in a long list of experiences in the year that has gone. Lots of decisions made to impact our future. We learned better ways to keep in contact with you and stepped up our events to excite and engage a bigger audience. And if you weren’t part of the 2018 “Mac 'n' Cheese Throwdown," I can only say you’re very lucky that you have another chance to join us this year on February 23rd when we do it all again!
We enriched our development staff, interviewed, and ultimately hired some very talented people. We grew from “part-time helpers” to full time employees. Our ODRC Accredited Step By Step Service Dog Training Program completed a full calendar year at a first of its kind engagement in a level 3 prison institution in Mansfield, Ohio. A year filled with the challenges of going deeper into ODRC programing for higher level security prison institutions. The challenges have been our greatest teachers. And if we could roll back the time and take all the challenge and hard work away, I have a feeling that all the accomplishment and joy might be gone as well.
In 2019 I plan on saying “YES” to every opportunity. To say “I don’t have time” is to say “I don’t want to”. More dogs for more kids to help them live their most joyful lives! Yes, for sure. I want that and all the things it takes to get that.
My childhood companion C.S. Lewis told me: “The future is something everyone reaches at the same rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is …." You’re invited to join all of us at W.A.G.S. for Kids. Filling up our year with hours of saying yes and creating joyful lives for children, for experiencing with us mouthfuls of Mac 'n' Cheese, and knowing exactly and purposefully where our time has gone.
Happy 2019 to all … Tick, tock.
Wendy