About

Joan and Greg Wright started Community Resources on January 1, 1990

 “Our commitment was to people with developmental disabilities who lived in state institutions and local nursing homes that wanted to move back to their home communities. We were excited about people moving into their own homes, being involved in the choosing of where they lived, what they did during the day and how they expressed their individuality and uniqueness.

We continue with that same commitment and passion. Over the years, Community Resources has grown to include people with developmental disabilities who have grown up in their family homes and already have a place in the community. They and their families want to continue their journey towards independence while living in their own home and experiencing life on their own with support from paid staff, family and friends.

What a great adventure this has been and still is. I am grateful to have been the sister of an amazing woman, Lynn, who also happened to have developmental disabilities. My life has been richer because of the experiences we were able to share. Community Resources is what it is because of her.”

Joan Wright, Executive Director

We define community as the group to which we are responsible to contribute to, celebrate with, and hold answerable.

You are important to us. We are important to you. We are bound together through life transitions by shared goals, needs, and values.

As a team, we work together to ensure the people we support live an enriching life of their own choosing.

Community Resources is located in the heart of Olympia, Washington. We work with members of our community living with intellectual and developmental disabilities and empower them to live their best lives.

Rights

We believe that all people have the same human and civil rights. Because the balance of power requires constant vigilance and because that balance will often waiver, we believe it is necessary to reiterate what rights people have.

These seven rights are to

Have – Feel – Act – Love and be Loved – Speak and Hear Truth – See – Know

Philosophy

We are passionate about our work and are committed to working together from a position of power-with and power-from-within. We support the development of personal power and self-determination. We recognize that we are in relationship with each other in a number of different ways: roles, money, family, and friendships. It is critical that we honor and understand the dynamics of relationships in order to ensure the emotional and physical well-being of each and every one of us.

Our agency is based on our belief in equal human rights; we will support each other in our choices about the way in which we live our lives. Our relationship with each other will be based upon a philosophy of mutual exchange — gathering knowledge, understanding consequences, and accountability. When we take responsibility for mutual exchange, we are then free to make our choice.

We are committed to recognizing the people who have gathered around Community Resources as a community of people who want to be together, who trust each other as people of integrity, and who honor their commitments to each other, and to the community at large. 

We believe that we are important to each other and that how we are together is as important as what we are together. We believe in the power of love and in celebrating each other and ourselves.

Mission

We will work to build a sustainable, supportive community by being involved in activities that focus on diversity and inclusion resulting in community whose commitment to the value and need for all people to belong is strengthened. 

“The Mind creates the abyss but the Heart crosses it.” – Steven & Ondrea Levine

Values

We believe that we all have a place in the community, the right to a sense of belonging, and the right to communicate in a style that allows us a fulfilled life.

• We believe that understanding power and the use of power in our relationships is necessary to ensure the emotional and physical well being of everyone.
• We believe in shared leadership and responsibility and in sharing all of who we are with each other.
• We believe in communicating with each other with integrity, trust, vulnerability, and equality; in the importance of building on existing skills and opening up opportunities for learning new skills.
• We believe that we all have the right to make informed choices and that answers to our questions or needs often are found in existing communities of families and friends.
• We believe that representing someone on his or her behalf, commonly known as advocacy, is obsolete. Rather, we believe in supporting each other towards representing ourselves.