News

A Holiday Message for Our Central Florida and Greater Orlando Community

While the holiday season is traditionally a time of peace, comfort, and joy, we know that these things have been in short supply for many in recent years. It is our hope that this Holiday Season and the New Year will bring you rest, relief, and a renewed excitement for the future.

As we close this year and look back on what 2023 has brought us, we would like to take a moment to honor and lift up the dedicated team here at Aspire who give their time, energy, and passion to help those in need. In our work, we have seen how the stress and strain of the past three years has affected our clients. From anxiety over COVID-19, stress associated with inflation and rising costs of living, to severe weather and its sometimes devastating impacts, the past three years have been tough. Many of our team members have had to contend with these same stressors in their personal lives, and yet they still show up day after day to support those who need it the most. The work that our Aspire employees do every day truly inspires me, and we would like to take this time to personally thank and recognize the compassion, commitment, and dedication that they bring to our community.

We would like to specifically thank those staff who will be spending their holidays here, taking care of our clients. Our residential, inpatient, acute care, and crisis response programs operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we are grateful to those staff who are there to respond to those in crisis no matter when that crisis may occur – especially during the holidays.

To all who work to support our community, whether through a career in healthcare, as community service professionals, or simply by supporting friends and neighbors in need, I’d like to thank you. We encourage you all to set aside some time this season to relax, rest, and reflect. Regardless of what this year has brought you, we hope you are able to take a moment in the coming days to draw close to your loved ones and look forward to a future of hope and happiness.

We will all head many places at the end of this week, some to our homes, some to homes of family or friends, some to holiday vacations, and some simply to a place where they feel welcome and rested. Some of us will go to our workplaces, to be there for those that need us. Before you head to wherever you will spend your holiday, we would like to remind you all that the greatest gift we can give one another is our compassion, love, and support. We encourage you to seek to give that gift to someone else this holiday – and allow yourself to receive that gift from others. We all need support, and we all have much to give.

It is our hope that in this season, our community will come together to support one another in the true spirit of the holidays. Regardless of the holidays we observe or the personal traditions we follow, we can all take this time to celebrate our loved ones, as we reflect on the past year and look forward to a new one. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or other holidays or traditions, we hope that this time is one of merriment and joy for you and your loved ones.