Why We’re Here: Understanding Our New Mission Statement
Dr. Teresa Granillo, AVANCE CEO
During a recent meeting with staff from across the AVANCE network, we broke out into pairs and asked each other a simple question: Why are you here?
It seems like a straightforward question, but it can reveal so much about what someone values and is passionate about. As we shared our stories, it became clear to many that at the heart of why we’re here is our commitment to the families and communities we serve.
That commitment to walking alongside children and caregivers on their journeys toward opportunity, equity, and justice is why AVANCE exists. It’s the driving force behind everything we do and every decision we make. It’s also the foundation of our new mission statement:
AVANCE walks alongside children and caregivers in primarily Latino communities to achieve social and economic justice.
The Whole Idea
Our previous statement served us well, but AVANCE continues to evolve, innovate, and adapt to meet the needs of our families and communities. While developing our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, we revisited our mission statement to determine whether it still resonated and came to a consensus that it needed to be shorter. That made the decision to update the mission statement reasonably straightforward, but “shorter” wasn’t the only thing we hoped to accomplish.
We wanted a mission statement that could unify our team, partners, and supporters and align efforts across the AVANCE network with the organization’s strategic goals and direction. We looked to other organizations for inspiration and found ourselves returning to one unexpected example that stood out, Whole Foods Market:
Our purpose is to nourish people and the planet.
It’s simple and brief but powerful and compelling. We had found our inspiration and developed two criteria for our new mission statement. It needed to be:
- a clear and concise declaration of why AVANCE exists and the impact we aim to achieve.
- grounded in our unique legacy but reflect where we are today.
Our new mission emerged after months of thoughtful reflection and deliberate effort. It reflects where AVANCE stands today while staying true to our core purpose. It highlights our two-generation approach, our commitment to centering racial equity, and our dedication to addressing educational, economic, and social disparities, particularly within Latino communities, while embracing the diversity of all the families we serve.
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts
The new AVANCE mission distills a complex national organization down to our core purpose, answering the question: Why are we here? It may seem simple, but our choice of words is deliberate.
- AVANCE walks alongside children and caregivers
The new mission emphasizes the importance of the two-generation approach that has been the core of our work for over 50 years. It also highlights our role as a trusted partner and resource, working in partnership with our families and communities to create lasting change.
- In primarily Latino communities
AVANCE was founded to serve Latino families, but today, we embrace families from all backgrounds and celebrate the diversity of our families, communities, and staff. Our new mission statement reflects this inclusivity while honoring our history and the unique expertise in serving Latino families we continue to build on.
- To achieve social and economic justice
Our new mission aligns with our vision of a world where all children and families have equitable access to resources and opportunities to reach their fullest potential. It reinforces the importance of centering racial equity in our work and our role in addressing the root causes of disparities in education, income, and opportunity within our communities.
Together, these parts create a mission statement that is both inspirational and aspirational. It unifies our team and our community, recognizing what makes us unique and the ultimate goal we work toward every day.
Moving Forward Together
As we look to the future of AVANCE, we move forward with a mission that reflects our roots and our vision of a brighter, more equitable future. Our new mission is fundamental to the strategic plan guiding AVANCE over the next several years, aligning our collective efforts with our common goals. Together, we are walking alongside children and caregivers, ensuring they have the support and resources needed to thrive.
Inspired by a future that holds great promise for our families and communities, we are embracing the journey ahead, and we welcome our AVANCE friends, partners, and supporters to join us in our mission. ¡Vamos!