Happy Anniversary Pause!

Pause is ONE! Well, not really… but close! Last Friday, July 1st, Pause celebrated our first year as an official nonprofit. As many of you know, Pause was born almost eight years ago under the Butler County Family and Children First Council as a preventative program to provide respite to families with special needs. During that time, Pause grew our services, programs and support for families becoming a sustainable program capable of launching out as our own entity!

The one year mark is super exciting for nonprofits (over half fail in their first year) and although we are in a unique circumstance with many years of experience under our belt, we are so thankful for all of the support from our families, volunteers and community partners.

This year, we have learned a lot -  from how to host events resembling well oiled machines in our new space to creating innovative plans to grow and expand to support more families and even learning new fiscal policies from our funders to maximize our budget. Although ALL of those things are essential to the success of this program, this year we have really started to pinpoint what it means to be Pause. 

Over the past six months, our team has undergone several personal and professional development workshops, trainings and conferences that really get to the heart of who we are as people. We found it so beneficial, we continued those exercises to reflect what we learned and who we strive to be each and every day.

Through this journey, we were able to further develop and clearly define our program values. We are excited to share those with you today: 

Thriving Families: because when the family unit thrives, communities, caregivers and kids flourish. Demonstrated by fostering an inclusive family culture and opportunities to lead people from isolation into connected relationships with a clear pathway to resilience and hope. 

Authentic Relationships: because when all parties come to the table rooted in genuine love, vulnerability, acceptance and curiosity, it creates space to see and receive the intrinsic value each of us holds. Demonstrated by an intentional welcoming, knowing people by their name and honoring what is important to them. 

Meaningful Experiences: because feeling safe, having fun and relating to others with similar experiences over time leads to belonging. Demonstrated by providing tailored, consistent and compassionate invitations to learn, connect and play.

Strategic Innovation: because purposeful and future focused planning combined with creative thinking leads to learning, evolving, and creating best practices. Demonstrated by thoughtful partnerships, engaging in unexpected opportunities and cultivating an open feedback culture to create flexible programming and meet unique needs.  

These four values get to the core of what Pause does, why it matters and how we want to show up. We commit to driving Pause forward with these values as our roadmap and to always assure families we see them, we hear them and we know them.

Thank YOU for being on this journey with us. This is only the beginning, friends!

This is CAN DO.  This is COMMUNITY.  This is YOUR SUPPORT.