So, what the heck is SADI? Good question.
I could write a carefully crafted 450-word essay on the purpose of the Summerland Asset Development Initiative, how the founding members of the society saw a need and acted on it.
I could tell you about how popular the notion is in North America, the science behind it and just how unique our Summerland program is.
But, not today. Today, I am going to tell you a true story.
Our youngest son, Sam, has a habit of losing important things and in this story, he has, unbeknownst to him, lost his cell phone.
Again. Second day in a row.
This is how it starts, in the middle.
Just after 6 p.m. I receive a phone call from Adele at the Summerland Library.
She starts with, “Are you the Lisa who is Sam’s mom?”
I answer with a very hesitant yes, as any sensible parent of a teenager would do.
She asks if Sam has misplaced his cell phone.
This leads to a confused few moments because Sam doesn’t know if his phone is missing but is now frantically looking for it.
All while Adele waits patiently on the phone.
Finally, confirmation that, yes, Sam has misplaced his phone.
Adele asks what kind of a phone is it. We reply with the details and determine it is at the library.
Phew! We have located a phone we did not yet know was missing.
This has saved Sam a ton of grief and we are all relieved.
And now, very curious. How on earth did Adele track us down?
It went like this. Sam and his friend Zak were at the library after school.
The teen section has a great lounging area and tons of graphic novels for perusing.
Because Zak’s mom, Heli, and I are both big library users, the boys have been in the library tons of times, both as willing participants in programs and not so willing victims on errand days.
Adele recognized both boys but could not place Sam’s parentage. So she looked up Heli’s phone number, called her, asked who Zak was with, Heli asked Zak, who said “Sam.”
Heli told Adele, gave her my phone number, Adele called, I answered, Sam had found the phone he didn’t even now he had lost. Eureka.
My point? It really does take a village to raise our collective youth.
Whether it be a librarian who goes the extra mile, the mothers who know each other, the folks working hard for a skateboard park, the seniors who were served tea, the service clubs who sponsor vans, or an organization called SADI designed to bring it all together.
We all play a role in building and developing assets that support our youth. More on that next time.
Lisa Jaager is a parent of three, an Early Childhood Educator, a former elementary school administrator and a SADI board member.
