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From the CEO David Schimmel

With the support and guidance of our Center and Foundation Boards, the David Lawrence Centers has recently completed the development of a new strategic plan that will transform our organization into the undisputed leader in mental health and substance use services in Southwest Florida.

This remarkable journey, begun last summer, followed the principles outlined in the book The Three Laws of Performance. Spearheaded by Center Board Member Kelly Townsend, an international business consultant, this exhilarating exercise has created a truly meaningful roadmap for a great future.

Above all, this process thrives on an environment where anything is possible. And so, rather than focusing on our 45-year history, we started from a blank slate to develop our organization into the future. The first product of this extensive and thoughtful process is our new Charter. The strong beliefs articulated in the Charter were introduced to our staff in January and to our board members – past and present – and committee members at a retreat held last month. These principals are already becoming the basis of our culture and we are proud to share them with you – our investors and supporters – here.

The Charter’s core elements will lead us to a new future and an unprecedented level of quality care and customer service:

• Innovation: cultivating creativity and resourcefulness and inspiring an environment that empowers people towards life-changing wellness
• Compassion: providing exceptional care that respects the dignity and unique expression of each individual
• Teamwork: recognizing that people are our greatest asset and recruiting dynamic professionals
• Integrity: honoring our word, doing what we say we will do, and being true to who we say we are
• Community: encouraging people to embrace and invest in our efforts

But we know we can do better yet, and believe that our planning process has set us on that course. We are proud to say that every one of us here – staff and volunteer – is doing everything he or she can to assure that we can be the undisputed leader in our field – and that the David Lawrence Centers is a place where people will experience life-changing wellness.