Why We Do What We Do!

By:  Eve Cugini

The question of “WHY” we do it is always close at heart.  Why create Family to Family Network in 1990 and work to continue to grow and reach more families when our kids are doing well? Obviously we began this trek because of our children.  I guess that is still the reason why we continue to do it. We want to be the best parents that we can be and open doors for our children that once were closed.  But, why Family to Family Network?  What sets us apart?

There are a couple of things that our young families were looking for when our friendships began and we became focused on the lives that our children would lead.  The first thing was to learn all that we could.  Some of our first questions were, “Will they have friends?” and “Will our insurance help with all of these bills?“  Our thoughts were pretty basic when the kids were little. Many people have provided us with the wealth of information that has become F2F’s Resource Center.  It is great to see new families use the information that many of us have gathered along the way. 

What was most important on our journey was to get connected to other families.  It was vital because no matter what the value of the insight or information, only families “living the life” truly understand the day-to-day struggles and the joys in the smallest successes.     Additionally, our focus is to first help our children, those little people living in our homes.  By opening doors for our children, we open doors for scores of others.  It’s the notion of success builds success and our children are leading the way!  We know that doors that     remain closed only make our jobs harder. 

Change happens by having a shared vision and working with the people that can make the difference.  It’s all about building community where our children are an integral part. We are not adversaries, but partners, friends and teachers because we are the experts on our kids.  We have a vision and it will take many of us to make those dreams become a reality.  The WHY is because we can’t not do it. What will happen if we stop?  These are our children and our responsibility and it is the right thing to do. 

That’s why.