Waypoint staff and partners need to be skilled in working with a wide range of clients. Manchester is one of New Hampshire’s most diverse cities, and children in multi-cultural families often have to take on additional support roles, Alvarez de Toledo says, including filling out critical forms or serving as an interpreter for parents or other family members. Other populations, like those who have recently been homeless, often need to learn or sharpen their “soft skills,” like how to prepare for a business meeting or interview, he adds.

Given that wide range of needs and the sensitive nature of the cases they work, President Dean asked how the Waypoint staff and its partners make sure they are taking care of themselves while also serving others, sparking a sincere discussion on the importance of self-care – and the critical need to impart that importance to new staff members and interns.

“It’s critical for us to think about the whole population in New Hampshire, and that’s why it was so important for us to visit Waypoint and to learn more about how they are helping our disadvantaged community members, to make them more productive citizens and to help them be everything they can be,” Provost Jones says.