MISSION AND PILLARS

OUR MISSION

In full partnership with families and communities, Graham Windham strives to make a life-altering difference with children, youth, and families who are overcoming some of life’s most difficult challenges and obstacles, by helping to build a strong foundation for life: a safe, loving, permanent family and the opportunity and preparation to thrive in school and in the world.

OUR VISION

  • Create a clear Graham way in all that we do in partnership with kids and families to achieve family success and youth success.
  • Go beyond systems into communities where we have roots to help kids and families thrive in Hunts Point, Harlem, and Central Brooklyn.
  • Strengthen the One Graham approach to programs, staff support, wellness, information technology, and facilities.
  • Pursue justice by influencing policymakers to adopt policies that promote success for kids, families, and staff.

SEE GRAHAM’S FULL 2025 VISION ►

OUR PILLARS

To achieve our mission and vision, we have at our core, a set of deeply held principles that we call our pillars.

RESPECT

Knowing that Black and Brown people face the worst systemic racism, we are committed to furthering anti-racist efforts centering on anti-Black racism. Progress on anti-Black racism is progress for all. We carry out intentional inclusiveness for all, in celebration of all races, genders, religions, beliefs, sexual orientations, identities, and ethnicities. We respect the inherent dignity and worth of all with whom we work and believe children, families, and communities are experts of their lives. Knowing that we all face challenges in life, we believe in the strength of family in all of its forms and that all are capable of developing solutions. Trust is an essential element of respect – trust between children, youth, families, and each other, and trust among the Graham community, funders, regulators, and the public. There is no trust without integrity.

GROW

We are committed to continuous self-reflection, self-care, and best practices that promote our growth. We accept that setbacks are part of growth and behavior change and take every opportunity to celebrate progress made by children, youth, families, and ourselves. We create genuine, lasting solutions by partnering with children, youth, families, and communities who lead us. We promote a culture that provides opportunities to develop, practice, and master skills, from an anti-Black racism lens, with supports along the way, for our dedicated staff and foster parents, children, youth, and families.

THRIVE

We call for justice for the improvement of communities most harmed by structural oppression and we allow everyone to define their own needs, which may include safety, family, education, health, wellness, opportunity, and a healing environment. We partner together to meet those needs so everyone can live their most abundant vibrant real lives. In our One Graham culture, we support each other and acknowledge that the experience of our dedicated team directly impacts each other. We recognize the strengths and abilities in our community, and where we need to join with others, which helps us to grow stronger so that we can sustain progress and thrive.

LEAD

All of us – children, youth, families, foster parents, staff, and members of the communities we partner with – lead by our words and actions. We take ownership and are accountable for what we do, how we do it, and the results. We own our successes, acknowledge our mistakes, and follow through on our commitments. We develop leaders who engage in anti-Black racism leadership practices and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) principles. We believe in respectfully challenging those who don’t uphold these Pillars. We value open and transparent communication, including healthy disagreement, with the goal of strengthening relationships and building a more connected Graham. We value listening as a means of learning from each other and relying on each other’s strengths. Knowing that inclusion makes us better, we appreciate differences and create opportunities for collaboration on solutions. We are stronger when we partner together.

FROM OUR PRESIDENT AND CEO

Thank you for visiting us at Graham Windham and welcome! After a decade of serving in several leadership roles at Graham, it is my absolute pride and pleasure to take the helm as President & CEO, expounding on the legacy of our prior leaders and continuing to run with the vision that we, the Graham Community, have co-created.

As we move forward to our Vision 2025, we declare that the future for our kids, families, and neighborhoods is bright! We understand the importance and necessity of partnering with the neighborhoods in which we are present and Graham’s vision for 2025 is timely. Continuing to work alongside our kids, families, and community allies, we are well on our way toward accomplishing these vision goals together:

  1. Help youth and families achieve their dreams
  2. Help families in crisis heal
  3. Change biased systems and fight inequity
  4. Build a thriving “OneGraham” culture

I am honored to lead Graham, and especially now! I am excited about the journey ahead of us and of what we will achieve together. In keeping with the generations of Graham-folk before us, we are optimistic, hopeful, energetic, focused, and unwavering in our commitment to make a life-altering difference in the lives of children. The memoir of Joanna Bethune, one of Graham’s founders makes this bold assertion about the Orphan Asylum Society (Graham’s original name): “… the Society, up to this hour, has never swerved, nor it is likely… that they ever will!” It was true in 1806, and 215 years later, it still holds true!

With great fondness,

Kimberly Watson
President & CEO