What a Culture of Caring Means To Me
Written by Mommies In Need Executive Assistant, Anna Beaty
At Mommies In Need, the level of care that our staff brings into every interaction is our fundamental and guiding principle. At Annie’s Place, our beautiful childcare facility, children are greeted with a smile. They are welcomed by name into their classroom by a friendly teacher. Throughout the day, they will interact with a skilled play therapist and an enthusiastic music teacher, eat 2 nutritious meals, and take a nap in the afternoon to help them unwind from a stimulating morning. Every hour is planned carefully to ensure that these kids are safe, secure, and engaged Our engagement with hospital staff and corporate and individual donors also reflect this same level of care as we seek to develop and maintain the highest level of confidentiality, trust and collaboration. These relationships are the bedrock for any health-related non-profit, but at Mommies In Need, we think of these donors and hospital colleagues as family. Without them, we could not focus our attention and love on the families that come to us for support and stability during their most difficult moments. At every level of engagement in the Dallas community, our staff works tirelessly to convey this culture of caring that has become our guiding light.
Since I joined the Mommies In Need team in January of 2022 as an executive assistant, I have been consistently impressed by the love and warmth of the team at Annie’s Place. It is uncommon to have such a diverse community of women from so many different backgrounds that are unified around the mission of bringing excellent childcare in order to help parents access healthcare. Because of this shared goal, deep friendships are created. I am honored to help administratively support the teachers, front desk workers and directors that facilitate Annie’s Place. They are truly the hands and feet of everything that we do, and without them we couldn’t operate.
About a month ago, I was asked to move into the hiring team at Mommies In Need, and I jumped at the chance. Besides my joy at being able to interact with new people, I am also deeply committed to the mission and culture of the organization. Since then, I have had the privilege of being able to speak with men and women who share this same heart and desire to relieve suffering in our community. To my surprise as I went through this interview process, my ideas about care were being challenged. One applicant in particular caused me to rethink what this looks like. At the beginning of our interview, she was calm and even quiet. She wasn’t bubbly or excitable, but there was a stillness and warmth to her that drew me in. She explained that her love for children was rooted in years of taking care of her siblings and cousins. When I asked her why she wanted to work at Mommies In Need, she shared that she had been in a job for several years where she had been taken advantage of, wanted to find a job that she would love before leaving. She had read about us online and connected with our mission to serve the community through childcare. Her steadiness and determination impressed me, but I left the conversation feeling ambivalent. Over the course of the next few days, I struggled with this thought, “What if my way of caring isn’t the only way to really care?” The woman I had interviewed could not have been more unlike me. She wasn’t overly enthusiastic; she wasn’t bubbly or extremely talkative. And yet I was certain of her work ethic and determination, and on an even deeper level, her conviction for caring for her community. At Mommies In Need, diversity and authenticity are celebrated in a number of ways, including staff potlucks, “Failed so Hards,” and monthly spotlights. But this diversity also includes the ways in which we care. Every person on our team has their own unique way of caring. And this is worthy of celebration.