A Message from Dr. Lisa On 30 Years of Service
Parenting Through It All
In reflecting on the past 30 years as the President & CEO of Parents Anonymous® Inc., I realize it has truly been a wondrous and beautiful journey, filled with many milestones and continuing challenges for me. This has been a labor of love. Every day, I remind myself that advocating against anti-racist, anti-classist, and anti-sexist policies, laws, and procedures that harm and traumatize Parents, Children, & Youth is necessary for preserving the values of family and well-being.
My most important role in life is being a Mother to two wonderful adult children, along with being a wife, woman, friend, and community member. We must ensure justice and equity are addressed. Peer support has been validated at the community level, and parent leadership with those with lived expertise has been acknowledged, but new, evidence-based structures need to be created that ask and respond to what Parents need help with. We have replaced blame and shame with strength and hope.
I am most proud of our research results increasing safety and enhancing the well-being of all Parents, Children & Youth who attend Parents Anonymous® Groups and use the Helpline. As an organization, we have changed the conversation and outcomes by developing and spreading Shared Leadership® Initiatives and Programs, which continue to be the hallmark for securing meaningful and long-term change. In the next 30 years, we will continue Parents Anonymous® with respect and humility for diverse and empowered Parents, Children & Youth worldwide in order to safeguard positive outcomes, ones that build thriving and resilient communities.
Our theme of National Parent Leadership Month® is Parenting Through It All. Throughout February Parents are being honored and celebrated for all that they do to ensure their personal well-being, enhance the growth and development of their children, support schools, improve workplaces, and improve neighborhoods. We all know that Parents are the unsung heroes of the pandemic. We at Parents Anonymous® believe the future depends on parents who are both courageous and unrelenting. These past 2 years have challenged Parents given the worry, fear, uncertainty, and anxiety a worldwide pandemic has produced with long-term consequences to all of us. No matter what Parents stepped up to create stability in uncertain times, provide uncompromising love and support to see everyone through, and be the rock for their Children & Youth no matter what. We at Parents Anonymous® believe in the strengths of all Parents in good and bad times.
Parents Anonymous® asks individuals, government, philanthropy, and businesses to invest in the hope of the future: Parents, Children & Youth, so no one is left behind, overlooked, or blamed and shamed because Asking for Help is a Sign of Strength®. With Parents in the driver’s seat, we assure a future where empowered Parents, Children & Youth have a brighter future!