Celebrating Communities, Shared Goals, and Flagstaff Nonprofits

“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.”

H.E. Luccock

I’m writing this blog post on the balcony of my office in the early morning. There are clouds on the mountain peaks, and since I’ve sat down to write, two trains, a waste management truck, and a mail delivery worker have all passed by.

It got me thinking about how much cooperation, organization, and human intention it took for me to have the opportunity to sit here, type at my computer, and drink my coffee. Who were the people that took the time to craft my coffee mug? Who was the person who harvested my coffee beans? What sort of incredible collaboration contributed to the technology I use? Who built the balcony? The chair? How many people did it take to create enough safety for me to sit here and enjoy this lovely morning?

The Great Connection

The number of people directly connected to my morning experience is mind-boggling. As hard as we try to credit ourselves for our own successes and experiences, we are and have always been, intricately connected to those that have gone before us. Humanity, at its best, is cooperative, imaginative, and compassionate. Humans have a unique capacity to problem solve and work together towards a shared goal. We, as a collective, have accomplished incredible things and continue to create and maintain complicated, interconnected systems. And, like any system, there’s always the opportunity to update, improve, and evolve.

Falling Through the Cracks

Our current system and way of existing is incredible AND not everyone is benefiting from it in fair and equitable ways. There are certain subsets of our population that fall through the cracks and are cast out and labeled as the “other.” Humanity, as remarkable as it is, also creates in-groups and out-groups. Those that belong and those that do not. Those that have power and those that do not. People struggling with addiction are often cast in the out-group. Often times, people that find themselves in this “out-group” are also in multiple “out-groups.” For example, people struggling with addiction < women struggling with addiction < pregnant and parenting women struggling with addiction < women of color who are pregnant and/or parenting struggling with addiction < women of color, living in poverty, who are pregnant and/or parenting, struggling with addiction < women of color, living in poverty, who are undocumented, and are pregnant and/or parenting, struggling with addiction. There are often multiple levels of difficulties within a single person which requires us to imagine multiple levels of intervention to adequately face the challenges of our imperfect, but ever-evolving systems of care.

Celebrating Flagstaff Non-Profits

This month includes National Non-profit Day where we recognize the different non-profit organizations that are working to create more equitable and just systems. Coconino Country has some incredible organizations that are trying hard to make space for everyone. Sage Home aims to collaborate and connect with each of these organizations and be a crucial part of supporting compassionate care in our community. Here are some of our local non-profits to check out and support.

·       Southwest Behavioral & Health Services

·       Northern Arizona Food Bank

·       Victim Witness for Coconino County

·       Sacred Peaks Health Center

·       Native Americans For Community Action

·       Catholic Charities

·       The Literacy Center

·       Flagstaff Community Foundation

·       Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth

·       Flagstaff Shelter Services

·        Northland Family Help Center

·       Flagstaff Unified School District

·       Child and Family Support Services

·       First Things First

·       Big Brothers Big Sisters

·       Sunshine Rescue Mission and Hope Cottage

·       Southside Community Association

·       ANEW Living

·       The Guidance Center

·       Public Libraries

This is only a partial list of the wonderful nonprofits in our community. Sage Home is excited to collaborate and partner with as many of these organizations as possible and we hope that our organization can help our community face some of the difficulties parents face while recovering from addiction.

May we take time to notice and appreciate the parts we all play in bringing our beloved community towards more compassionate and inclusive systems of care. One where everyone is given the opportunity to belong and heal.

Thank you for all your past and current support and we are excited to continue the work of providing a safe, supportive, non-judgmental space for pregnant and parenting women to receive addiction treatment with their children.