In April, the newly appointed Futures Implementation Team joined CCS, CCSF and ISN program directors at the Shalom Retreat Center in Mount Angel for a two-day retreat. Consultant Deb Maher led the group through a process of examining our strengths as a community, reflecting on past milestones and accomplishments, and envisioning the future of CCS, CCSF and ISN. Imagining the future involved group activities such as creating headlines that would be written about CCS if we achieve what we set out to accomplish by 2020. The group consensus formed around the headline: “CCS provides a blueprint that inspires hope and health for all communities.”

During break out “brilliant brainstorming” sessions, the group defined four projects that align with futures plan goals and the headline. The FIT Team and appointed subgroups are meeting to move four agreed upon initiatives forward.

Projects identified and voted on as having the most promise included: implement the HOPE Scale throughout the organization; design a holistic approach to program and housing services, employment and education; develop a comprehensive IT system infrastructure; build a company gym.