I am proud of the fact that AACCA's emphasis is advocacy for children. If we take care of ourselves individually, we will be better prepared to take care of children, and AACCA membership does promote individual agency growth. However, we cannot lose sight of the gains for children which can be obtained when we cooperate together in advocacy from our combined experience and resources across the state. We must work with others to that end, and we are doing all we can along cooperative lines. We are building bridges, whenever possible, for improvement of the system of care for these children. However, we must never allow any level of politics to cause us to roll over whenever we see things that we believe must be changed in order to improve that system.

We will speak and act, hopefully, with respect and a spirit of kindness. We will advocate for openness and honesty to characterize what individual members do and what others in responsible positions do on behalf of these children. I sincerely believe that the degree to which we will make a difference for them is equivalent to the degree to which we build on our successes and learn from our failures together. The children will benefit more from a few people who really care about the children, are willing to work together, and who are able to learn - than from a host of “experts”. The vision and mission quoted above undoubtedly forms a solid foundation for AACCA, but a learning attitude is a must in order to turn the vision into reality for children. If you are eligible for membership and bring this attitude to bear, please join us. The children need you. If you are not eligible for membership, we ask for your support and prayers to help us be and do all we can for them.

Sincerely,

Mac Otts, Executive Director