VALUES:

Empowered Grassroots – We are the people’s voice for mental health. We are a group of ordinary people who are concerned about the mental health challenges facing our community. We are individuals, family members, loved ones, and friends of people struggling with mental illness. We are people who recognize the serious challenges facing our community and leverage our collective voice to make lasting and systemic change in our community.

Thoughtfully Nimble – We move fast and we don’t wait for others’ endorsement to act. By operating as a lean organization without a prohibitive structure, we can make decisions quickly to be responsive to the ever-changing needs of mental health in our community. We aren’t afraid to make mistakes as we know that there will be many pitfalls along the way.

Forward-Thinking – We are focused on the present and moving toward the future and bringing our collective vision to fruition. As long as we are continuously listening to the feedback from the community and community partners, we know that we can move forward to make a positive impact.

Respectful Irreverence – Powerful words. Respectful irreverence is the combination of two words seemingly unrelated. We believe we’re doing something unique by linking these two words—and in the process we created a value that aptly describes an important characteristic of our culture. Our belief is that CONNECT Summit County can say things in a way that other organizations cannot.  It’s all related to our independent grassroots nature.

Unwavering Compassion – We listen to the needs of the community regardless of where the conversation is generated. We accept individuals for who they are and we treat everyone with kindness and respect.

Expansive Connection – We believe in the power of connection. When individuals and organizations feel as though they are part of something larger, they together can make the systemic change that the community deserves. Our focus is to remove barriers and increase visibility so that everyone can see themselves as part of the solution and feel supported.