Page 3 - Open Sky Annual Report 2020

Message from the President and the Chair of the Board
It’s Been Quite A Year
On Social Media, you frequently see posts about the year 2020 as the epitome of all things gone wrong, with people wondering when is it going to end? There is no question it has been a very challenging time for all of us.
But there have also been some remarkable stories of resilience, recovery, victory and grace in 2020.
For Open Sky, 2020 has brought out the best in our dedicated employees. Whether working through uncertainties and lack of adequate PPE at the start, to supporting individuals who struggled more than most with change of routine and isolation – our front line essential workers truly exemplified caring and resilience in action.
Some employees even made the difficult but heroic decision to leave their families and move into programs as “live-In” staff to reduce the numbers of staff coming and going.
We also learned important lessons about racism and racial equity, diversity and inclusion. After much dialogue across our organization, we learned that we are not okay and that we have so much to learn and to change. We are committed to learning as much as we can and ensuring that we implement changes that will make Open Sky truly anti-racist. And we have the good fortune to have a group of employees who are engaged and leading this effort -- appropriately called the C.A.R.E. team – Committee on Advancing Racial Equity.
David Przesiek, Chair
This has been a time when all hands on deck and everyone caring for and supporting each other has become the norm. So what happens next?
2020 was challenging and in some ways deeply painful. But it also provided the opportunity for us to do things differently, to collaborate more closely, to learn more intently and to care more deeply.
While we know we are not done with COVID, as we look ahead, there are new opportunities for us to reimagine our future. We now see the incredible benefits of telehealth, so surely that is a mode of service delivery that will stay. We wonder about and explore what other technologies will help us support the people we serve more effectively.
We also know that caring for our staff, as we all did during the crisis, is also an important part of our future. And most importantly, we know that advancing racial equity is a top priority and we must continue to learn and eventually, we hope, to lead the way.
We also know that all that we are and want to be require us to find like-minded agencies, organizations and partners. None of us can achieve all that is needed alone.
2020 was challenging and in some ways deeply painful. But it also provided the opportunity for us to do things differently, to collaborate more closely, to learn more intently and to care more deeply. We are looking forward to a future that is perhaps different than it would have been, had we not been tested and forged in the fires of 2020. We hope you will join us for the journey that lies ahead.
Warm Regards,
David Przesiek Ken Bates
Board Chair President and CEO
Open Sky Community Services Annual Report 2020 2
Ken Bates, President & CEO