“We serve with a positive attitude, because even where solutions are in short supply, hope is abundant”. This is one of 8 Community Lifeline Center core values. It reminds us that while human and financial resources may be limited, determination is infinite.
A recent email from a client celebrates an outcome of that determination. The veteran was recently served by Community Lifeline; he wrote about the dental care he had just been given, and the assistance CLC had provided in preparing a resume. He was also put in contact with the Texas Workforce Commission where he is working with two different recruiters; he has already applied to 11 job listings. He closed his email thusly: “I am so grateful for the services that Community Life Center is providing. I am still far from out of the woods but I remain motivated and enthusiastic. I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
What better way to describe hope than “the light at the end of the tunnel.”
According to a 2005 article by Maxine Dunham, in Encounter magazine, John Hopkins University conducted an experiment with mice a few years ago. The mice in the first group were held tightly in the experimenters’ hands so that they couldn’t move. The mice struggled but were immobilized without being injured. Then after a set period of time, they were placed in a tub of water. They immediately sank, having learned that fighting was hopeless.
The mice in a second group were held less tightly. They were given some hope of escaping the grip of the lab technician without being actually free. After the same length of time, they were also dropped into a tub of water. They swam to safety.
The technicians didn’t take away hope or give it – the mice decided whether their situation was hopeful or hopeless. In the same way, CLC doesn’t give hope – it provides the tools, support, and assistance so that clients can create it. The veteran wasn’t thanking CLC for kind words or heartfelt encouragement. He was thanking CLC for giving him the means to be hopeful – helping him create the outcomes he wanted.
That’s why hope is in abundant supply at CLC: it doesn’t have to be stored, replaced, renewed, invested, or bought. It’s in a constant state of renewal, because CLC’s clients continuously create it.
Our Mission
Community Lifeline Center strengthens communities in North Collin County by guiding residents in crisis back to self-sufficiency and independence.
Learn more about the Collin County Veteran & Family Services Program
