As a nation, we are navigating turbulent times. We watched in horror the unjust killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others and recognize that the pain felt across our communities is a result of a much longer history of racism in our country. We have been inspired by our colleagues, family, and friends making their voices heard for a profound need for inclusiveness in our society.
The leadership team at The Stepping Stones Group has listened to your thoughts on recent events and reflect on their effect on our community. We understand that many of us are experiencing a wide range of emotions and are saddened, frustrated, angry, and hurting emotionally. We must do better as a society to treat each other with empathy, support, and civility.
The Stepping Stones Group is committed to diversity and inclusion. We condemn and do not tolerate racism, bigotry, discrimination, bullying, or hate in any form. We stand with our team, clinicians, special educators, families, and students in their expressions of pain, anger, and demands for change. We must address the fundamental issues of diversity, equality, and inclusion beyond conceptual factors.
As we look to our core values as guiding principles, we need to come together as a Community and welcome collaboration and honest discussion. We are committed to listening and learning. We know that by working together, our actions have profound positive effects on the children, families, and communities we serve. Integrity is another core value and we are committed to conducting ourselves in a way we would expect others to treat us: to be honest, ethical, and fair in all our activities. We believe everyone should be treated with respect.
We understand that to drive change, we must get involved and take action. To show our commitment to these efforts, we have made a donation to the NAACP who are working tirelessly to combat racial inequality. We will also be facilitating discussions throughout our organization where we can identify how we can become more inclusive and supportive at our company and in our communities.
As a mission-driven organization, we are not only dedicated to positively impacting the lives of children, their families, and our communities but also dedicated to supporting the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees and communities. We have the privilege of serving many people in their homes, schools, and communities. Many of those communities have been impacted by the unrest that has taken place. We see you, we hear you, we will learn from you and we will support you.
Together, we are stronger, united we stand.
Tim Murphy
