A Diversity Message From Neil Meltzer - January 2018

Happy New Year! Most likely, many of you have made New Year's resolutions to do better in whatever area you choose. Just as our New Year's resolutions differ, so too do New Year's traditions around the world. In North America, launching fireworks and party horns is a common way to ring in the New Year, but in Italy church bells will ring. The Swiss will beat drums and in some other cultures people enjoy a symbolic meal surrounded by family and friends before the clock strikes midnight.

In addition to New Year's Day, January has other special days.

Jan. 15 is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday commemorating the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and activist for non-violent social change. He played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. Not only is this day observed to honor the life and achievements of Dr. King, it also is a day of service-"a day on, not a day off." Americans are encouraged to give back to and engage with their communities in honor of King, who once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

World Religion Day takes place on Jan. 21. First observed by the Baha'i faith to promote interfaith harmony and understanding, today it is recognized internationally to highlight the ideas that the spiritual principles underlying that the world's religions are harmonious, and that religions play a role in unifying humanity.

Also, to ensure victims of the Holocaust will always be remembered, the International Day of Commemoration takes place on Jan. 27. Designated by the General Assembly of the United Nations, Jan. 27 marks the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi-German concentration and extermination camp. The Nazi regime and its collaborators systematically murdered millions of Jewish men, women and children during the Second World War. International Day of Commemoration is dedicated to honoring the lives lost, educating our younger generation about the Holocaust and helping to prevent such acts from ever occurring again.

At LifeBridge Health we celebrate both what makes us diverse and unique, and what makes us the same - our shared purpose of caring for communities together. As we begin this New Year, I am confident we will continue to fulfill this mission in our work every day.