Editorial

Editorial from the Desk of Gaye Morris Smith
Executive Director, Family Connection Partnership

Conference Spurs Merchants of Hope: We're in the Hope Business

On behalf of Family Connection Partnership and the planning committee for the 2005 Family Connection Conference, "Framing the Future," I want to wish a sincere thank you to the entire Family Connection community and stakeholders across Georgia for your contributions to our recent 8th biennial event in Athens.

We appreciate your input, attendance and evaluation of the conference and hope, just as our keynote speakers inspired us, that you have returned to your work in your local communities as "hope brokers" to Georgia's children and families.

The next time we greet each other, let's ask the question, "How are the children?" I want us to be able to respond with continued hope and persistence that, "The children are well."

My hope is that you walked away from the conference equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources to do the compassionate work that you do for children, families and communities. After all, we want the display of 1,272 children's artwork and essays on "What I Want My Community to Be Like in the Future" to set the framework to help us build the communities they envision—communities where businesses thrive, diversity is celebrated, the environment is protected, and neighbors count on neighbors.