The Spirit of Welcoming

By Marisa Geitner, President and C.E.O.

In a fractured world, it can feel natural to pull inward to avoid the sharp edges of conflict. But the only way to heal today’s fractures – to make it safely past the shards – is actually to pull together. To lessen the distance. To become whole.

To welcome.

It starts with conversation, with getting to know someone else. That leads to community and relationships. And we find that when you welcome community, that’s when you welcome true change.

Every society and every time period has had its own list of people who were not welcome. That created a fracture, a break.

Children were expected to be seen but not heard. Women were to be in the kitchen. African Americans were sent to their own schools, supposedly separate but equal. And people with disabilities were forced to live behind locked doors.

Each time the way forward has been to welcome.

And this time – when our industry is changing, our workforce pool is shrinking and our society is reeling for direction on how to treat people – the answer is still to welcome.

So, welcome to the conversation. Together, let’s welcome the change we need in order to be a stronger, more whole, society.