Within all of us lies the longing for freedom, safety, hope, self-respect and the opportunity to make contributions to family, community and the world.  Without the ability to make those important contributions, hopelessness takes over in the form of depression, dependency, violence, substance abuse and other forms of self abuse.

Healthy, strong, contributing families are interdependent with the rest of the community.  We are all interdependent with extended family, friends, social groups, neighbors, faith community, co-workers, schools, health care providers, daycares and others.  We can't function in isolation, we need other.

How do we help families restore a sense of self-respect, freedom and ultimately strong families?  We need to establish mutually respectful relationships.  We will never truly invest in community or each other until we connect at a level of dignity, respect and understanding--the basis of what relationships are built upon.