GOODBYE

NEW DAWN

I thought I’d never do it, yet I did and I’m glad I did!   

Friday I sent my letter of resignation to the Board of Directors I served on for about thirty years. As I put my signature on the bottom of the document, I re-read it one more time and then put the cursor that was poised on the ‘send’ button, stared at it for a moment or two more than felt the surge from my brain to the index finger, then pressed.

As the document was sent off, there is a sound that goes with the sent document, kind of like air flying off in a whiff or blast. It makes you know the document is on its way!

My reasons for my resignation were two-fold. One was that I plan to move to Burbank, Ca., in the future to be with my family, namely my grandchildren and that is exciting. Second, I feel that the agency is heading into the future with a new direction that was trusted upon the board and needs to have new people with new energies and new ideas. One thing I don’t want is for this to be about myself, but those we serve, and I served as best I could.

As the document disappeared into cyberspace, I asked myself a question: “What now?”

All the years of retirement I was kept occupied by the various committees I was on, some as the chair, all of them were very important, from conducting audits of homes or the business of guardianship to writing new policies and procedures, to overseeing pension plans.

I will miss the people that constitute this oversight committee, the Suffolk AHRC Board of Directors. I will miss the many friends I made on staff and of course, the people I served, each and every one of them.

Being a board member is a heavy task, you must put away your self-interest and embrace everyone else who has a child or sibling. You become an advocate for all and not just the program participants, but staff as well.

I wish all the Suffolk AHRC family, the New York State Arc and the National Arc success, greater success than they can even imagine. I want to thank all who are part of the Suffolk family with my love and thanks for your friendship. God bless the organization, stay strong and carry on the good fight!

Goodbye!

Love,

Joe Del Broccolo