Rooted In Growth - Stories from St. Vincent's Day Home
Telling Stories over 100 years, one voice at a time!
Rooted In Growth - Stories from St. Vincent's Day Home
Mission, Values, Mottos & A Feeling You Can Walk Into
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Alexandra Hilario, the Executive Director, describes the Day Home's mission and vision, the five values adopted by the board, this year's theme, "Rooted in Growth. Rising with Purpose," and the feeling she wants visitors to have when they walk onto the campus.
Rooted In Growth. Rising with Purpose.
Welcome to Rooted in Growth Stories from St. Vincent's Day Home. St. Vincent's has served the children and families of West Oakland since 1911, 115 years in the same location. In this segment, I'm speaking with the Day Home's Executive Director, Alexandra Ladio, about the mission, the vision, and core values that have guided the organization for more than a century and what it means to carry a hundred-year-old promise forward. So, good morning, Alexandra.
SPEAKER_00Good morning.
SPEAKER_01I'm excited for us to be doing this interview. I'm here again with Alexandra Iladio, the executive director of St. Vincent's Day Home, an incredible organization with an incredible mission. I would love to ask you some questions about the four years you have been at the helm. And I want to give listeners a window into a day at St. Vincent's Day Home. So let's start with the foundation. What are the mission, the vision, and the core values of St. Vincent's Day Home? And if you had to name a model that captures the place, what would that be?
SPEAKER_00Yes. So our vision, which is the world that we will create if we achieve our mission, is to have a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment where all young children will have the opportunity to thrive and learn in an environment dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential. Our mission is what we do every single day is to provide quality early care and education and development services to those in the greatest need, while offering family services in which children are nurtured and educated and their parents are supported in meeting their parental responsibilities. Over the decades, we've shortened that to serving the most in need because that's what we've done since 1911. It's been the same mission since we were founded. Um, our core values, we've uh we've had similar core values for the entire time as well. But recently the board and I collaborated in really focusing on five values that we want to keep in mind in everything that we do. And the first value is nurturing high-quality early learning, which is at the focus of everything we do. We also want to remember as value number two that we are serving the whole child development. We are not just teaching them academics, but we're also developing their physical and social emotional development. Uh, we, our third value is family partnership and empowerment. We know that we get the best results when the parents are engaged in the development and learning of their children. Our fourth value is equity, cultural respect and belonging. We make sure that we treat everyone uh as they need it, that everybody has what they need, and that we understand the cultures that we serve and we treat everybody with respect so that they know that they have a place where they belong. And the fifth value is respectful, supportive workplace for adults. We know that we will provide the highest level of care and education to our children and our community when the adults that provide that service feels feel respected and supported at their workplace. And if I have to think about something that encapsules what we do, I want to uh quote Corinne Mormon, who was our executive director for over 40 years. Uh, she's always used to say that as long as there is a St. Vincent's Day home, there will always be a place for a child to call home. And that is what I want to make sure that we continue doing because that's what we are. We are a second home for our children and families.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, Alexandra. It is so important to have a clear mission and a clear set of values, driving an organization. Uh, making that distinction, including your students and including your staff, what difference has that made in how you live the mission and the vision on a day-to-day basis?
SPEAKER_00Yes, um, having clear vision, mission, and values is really important because our values must show up in how we operate. If our values are what we choose to prioritize, then we fund uh the right projects and we um take on the right responsibilities. Our values uh are a lens for everything that we do. We uh use that as a uh way to record data and through surveys and family engagement opportunities to make sure that we keep the children and family experience at the center of what we do. And at the board level, the board has taken on the responsibility of protecting and prioritizing a philosophy that supports quality and care.
SPEAKER_01Excellent. Um, now I hear that this year's theme is rooted in growth, rising with purpose. That's a great theme, to tell you the truth. Um, so what does that phrase mean to you and and how does it show up on a day-to-day basis?
SPEAKER_00Yes. So we want to be uh rooted in growth because we want to think about our roots, not just as our roots as an organization. Uh we have deep roots in Oakland for 115 years, uh, but we also uh think about Oakland itself, the representation of Oakland is this beautiful tree with deep roots. So we want to keep that at the center, that we are rooted in this very um incredible place with deep cultural roots. And that helps us to build a deeper alignment around our values and how we operate and govern. Um, the board has done an amazing job over the decades to ensure that we are fiscally responsible and that we are financially viable so that uh we put practices in place that reflect our commitment to uplift our community and now and for the long term. So we ensure that our priorities reflect our values in real decisions and trade-offs. Having such a strong foundation allows us to think about the future in a way that will prioritize the needs of our community.
SPEAKER_01Okay, thank you. Now, St. Vincent's has held the same mission since 1911. That's over 100 years, uh, which is marvelous. Um, but what does it feel to carry a 100-year-old promise forward? That feels like a lot of responsibility.
SPEAKER_00It is. Um, the stewardship that we carry for the next 100 years, it is a big one. But the board and I have often discussed the fact that we are stewards of this organization, not owners, and that our job is to ensure strength for the next generation of learners. Uh, and that requires courage to invest in what matters and the discipline to do it responsibly. Um, we want to make sure that St. Vincent's Day Home celebrates another 115 years beyond the time that any of us are still here.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. Uh now I want to paint a picture for the listeners uh who have never set foot on your beautiful campus, uh, who may be a little too far away to take a tour. So, what is the feeling you want them to have about your place?
SPEAKER_00Yes, so if you have not visited us and can do so, give us a call. We'll be happy to give you anyone a tour who's interested in learning more about us. Um, if you are too far to visit, um, visit our website at svdh.org and you will see a learn learn a lot more about what we do and see beautiful photos of our facilities, our projects, our children, the services that we provide. Um, another fun way to take a peek into everything we do is to follow us on social media, um SVDH number four kids. Um, so just look for SVDH number four kids, uh SVDH4 Kids and Instagram, Facebook, and you will get to see a lot of fun pictures of our children in action and our teachers providing amazing care and education. Um, just a cute uh a quick, quick plug there. But uh if you when you walk through the doors of St. Vincent's Day home, you get a feeling of a place that has been maintained with love and care for many decades. Um, it has been immaculately maintained. It's a beautiful, clean space. And as you walk through the front desk and through the hallways and you walk out into the playground, you see that we you feel like you're entered a green oasis. We have this beautiful ivy wall that has been growing for many decades and really makes you feel like you've escaped to a different place. Um, the if the children are here, the joy of the children playing in the beautiful playground, it just really brings you, and there's no way that you can be in a bad mood if you're around these children. That is exactly what I felt when I first walked through these doors and really made me want to be a part of this organization. But it is not just about the physical environment, the staff and the teachers, and everyone who works at St. Vincent's Day Home doesn't see this as a job. It is a calling. I have never worked at a place that is so diverse that reflects the community we serve. Our community uh speaks over 15 languages, and we have a staff member that speaks pretty much every language, which allows us to really show up for our community in a way that they feel connected and respected. And um, everyone from the office staff, from leadership to the kitchen staff to the maintenance workers, everybody here does it for the children. That is our main purpose. You see the joy in just how our staff cleans the facilities and makes sure that everything looks pristine. You see the joy in how our kitchen staff cuts the vegetables and the chicken and the fish to make the meals for our children. And they bring their own recipes from their home, from their culture, so that they can also share part of who they are with our children. And the children love and respect that. And it really exposes them to different foods, to different flavors. And it is something that children remember when they uh leave and they come back decades later. They remember the food, they remember the people. Uh, so that is something that really draws you in when you come into St. Vincent's Day Home.
SPEAKER_01Wow. Thank you, Alexander, for sharing such a special place, um, really. So let me do a um short recap uh for listeners. Uh, now that we're coming, uh we come to an end, to to the end of this episode uh of One of Many to Come. Uh so in this segment, we went back to the foundations, a mission that has not changed since 1911, a vision rewritten to make room for every child, and five values chosen alongside the board to guide what the day home funds protects and prioritizes. Um, that you summarize beautifully. And what stays with me is the idea of leadership as stewardship rather than ownership, and the notion that a place can hold the feeling you sense the moment you walk through your doors. So, Alexandra, again, thank you for showing us what a hundred and fifteen-year-old promise looks like when it's still being kept. Well, and to our listeners, thank you for joining us. St. Vincent's Day Home has been rooted in West Oakland since 1911, and there's more of its stories still to tell. This has been rooted in growth. Stories from St. Vincent's Day Home. Until next time.