“Society becomes great when old men gladly plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never benefit from”.
A colleague shared the above quote with me, and I thought to myself what a powerful statement. The origin of the quote is said to be a Greek proverb. It speaks to our place on this Earth and what our true purpose is. What we do today influences how our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren live tomorrow. The legacy we leave behind will influence the generations to come. I think to myself and ask have I planted a tree that will have strong roots, a massive trunk and branches with leaves that will create shade that our future generations will benefit from. I do not know but what is very important is that if I can change my life for the better and help others do the same the chances are there will be shade others will benefit from in the future.
I have been the Chief Diversity Officer at Berkshire Health Systems for ten months. It has been an amazing and challenging experience. If anyone would ask me to name one thing that stands out for me in these last ten months, what would it be. I would say hands down the amazing people of Berkshire County who are working hard to make a difference in the lives of people every day. I see people honoring dignity every day in our community. Their dedication to helping those in need is the tree they are planting to build a better future for people today and tomorrow. I am fortunate that I get to share their light and be a part of something truly amazing and that is the work to heal a community.
We here in Berkshire County know what we are facing. We see what the data says about the health of our county. We know we have increased homelessness and increased suicides and drug overdoses. There are days when you would like to put your hands up wave the white flag and surrender but not here, not now, not ever. We are strong and we continue to move forward. We do not except that the data defines us. Every day I get to see what we are capable of because we understand we are building for our future and the future of Berkshire County. Long after we are gone, we will have built a better place for our future generations because that is what honoring dignity is about.
“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” – Mahatma Gandhi
The leaders and heroes of this community have dedicated their lives to helping our most vulnerable. If I can say anything about Berkshire County is that we are number one in our dedication to helping those in need. We are building a society and creating a shade that will benefit the present and the future Berkshire County. I want to thank my community partners for teaching me the value of giving back and standing up for others. I am a much better person today than I was yesterday because I know you.
Thank you for keeping Hope and Dignity alive for the people of Berkshire County
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 