The Season of Harvest and Thanksgiving: Celebrating Gratitude and Growth

As I write my last blog as the Executive Director of Voice and Vision, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Thirty years ago, we were a team of five part-time staff in a small office in Bucks County with two computers and three desks, while compiling CST (Consumer Satisfaction Team) data by hand. We were excited to be part of pioneering something in its infancy in Pennsylvania: people with mental health challenges interviewing people who had left state hospitals, and those living in the community, about their satisfaction with mental health services. Creating surveys, interviewing people, analyzing data, and writing reports with recommendations gave us a sense that we were making a difference and were on the cusp of transformation.

Now, decades later, we have witnessed and been part of many changes across systems of care, and the transformation within has taken us from that small beginning to where we are now. With support from funders, partners, donors, individuals, and families, Voice and Vision has 38 staff, 78 volunteers, three offices, and eight programs across three counties. There are many aspects of our growth that we celebrate. For me, the following three come to mind immediately:

• Connecting countless numbers of people to the resources they need through personal contact, the Help and Hope Books, and our Untold Valor Podcast.
• Touching thousands of lives by listening intently and reporting their experiences and recommendations to influence systems change.
• Designing and implementing unique peer support initiatives that lead to individuals and families experiencing quality of life outcomes.

Transformation can be daunting and slow-moving, but through teamwork, compassion, humor, and grace, we have both witnessed it and been a part of it. Our teams were at the table at the state, regional, and county levels in the mental health recovery movement. We were asked to spearhead peer support initiatives with adults in recovery and resiliency initiatives with children, youth, and families. Through the Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q), we embraced “Everyday Lives” and hired many self-advocates and family members who work in teams of two interviewing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These teams develop “considerations” that, when implemented, improve individuals’ quality of life.

Voice and Vision’s data has been used to inspire change since we started. For five years, we gathered information from youth and families impacted by substance use. The data was trended and presented at conferences and in workshops to encourage family engagement in treatment and services. Data from all our surveys is one of several datasets that counties and managed care organizations review to enact change. Even with all these accomplishments, delayed change can cause discouragement. However, our creativity, often fueled by adversity and perceived limitations, helps to make us stronger and more effective advocates.

From the moment we started, we have always represented the voice of people and cast a vision from that voice. So, in 2007, during a period of growth and transformation, we changed our mission and adopted the new name Voice and Vision, Inc.

Innovation has been a driving force at Voice and Vision. Early on, we determined we would be an agency that offers specialized services, more of a boutique, with a spirit and work ethic of excellence. We have stayed true to that focus, as evidenced by initiatives we created, such as Break the Sound Barrier, College Plus, Family & Youth Connections, H.A.N.D., (Hope and New Directions), Regional InReach at Norristown State Hospital, the Help and Hope Book Series, Outreach and Education, our Prayer Team, the Untold Valor Podcast with and for veterans. We also adopted and supported others, like TAP (Tuition Assistance Program), Family RoadMap, and Compeer & CompeerCORPS.

Our survey projects, processes, and reporting style continue to evolve through the diligence of our Consumer/Member/Family Satisfaction Teams. Their goal is to see the data and recommendations used to make changes to services and systems of care that significantly affect outcomes and people’s quality of life. Our lived experience drives us to promote change where needed and to support each other in persevering and believing that we are planting seeds that will one day bear fruit.

The harvest and Thanksgiving season focuses on reaping and gratitude, often with talk about the food that will be served on Thanksgiving Day. As a youth, my Uncle Paul hosted our celebration. Before he enlisted in the Army, he worked on his family’s farm. He said their Thanksgiving table revealed the fruit of their labor. Some years, the harvest was plentiful; other years, it was sparse. Still, they celebrated the work they had done together and the love they shared. They took time to recognize that each one had an essential part in sowing and reaping the harvest. I leave Voice and Vision with the same picture and gratitude for everyone I worked with, as each person contributed significantly to the fruit of our laboring together.

Since I announced in December 2024 that I would be retiring in December 2025, so many people have said, “It will be hard to fill your shoes.” While I know people meant it sincerely as a compliment and encouragement, I am happy to share that my shoes (mission and purpose) at Voice and Vision have been fulfilled. Now is the time for someone with different shoes to take Voice and Vision to the next level. It was a great honor to publicly welcome and turn over the leadership of Voice and Vision to the new Executive Director, Dr. Peter J. McLallen, at our agency’s Team Day this month. Voice and Vision is beginning a new season of trailblazing, sowing, and reaping, with new outcomes and greater fruit than ever before. I am excited to see what the future holds for Voice and Vision and me.

I wish all previous and current coworkers and volunteers, every partner that I had the privilege of sitting with at the table of change, and all the individuals and family members we have met over the years, a fruitful harvest and Thanksgiving season. I pray blessings on you and yours during the upcoming holidays and in 2026.

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Photo by Polina Rytova on Unsplash