What guides us
Ariel has grown a lot over the years. The beliefs at our core are the same ones we started with. Nobody here goes it alone. The people we serve, families, staff, and partners all have a voice and a part to play as we pursue the goals that matter most. We measure ourselves by real progress in real lives.
How we show up matters as much as what we do. We call it a culture of awesomeness. For the people we serve and the people on our team, it means belonging, being heard, and knowing you matter. It means doing things right, so everyone is safe, cared for, and in good hands. And it means opting in to the hard cases, trying what others won’t, and believing in what’s possible, even when it’s hard to see.
Our values in practice
Values are easy to write down. Living them happens in moments like these.
We believe in the uniqueness, worth and dignity of each person.
When Walt started falling at home, his doctor prescribed a walker. Walt wanted nothing to do with it. So his team started with what he did love: semi-trucks. They turned the walker into his own rig, and when he pulled up the safety mats to make roads, his case manager painted roads and a crosswalk on the floor instead. Staff got down on the floor with him until he felt heard, not judged. Now he asks to show off his walker at his favorite stores.
We celebrate the diversity of people we serve and those who live in our communities.
When June joined our day program, she was blind and very shy, and waiting for her to start a conversation wasn’t working. So the group changed its approach. Staff and participants learned she loved country music, Dolly Parton most of all, and started there. They helped her find her way around the space and brought her into activities. Now she recognizes people by their voices, says thank you when someone holds the door, and is learning to sign it, too. The same thinking shapes our offices, from wheelchair ramps and automatic doors to materials in Spanish.
We believe in quality, excellent care.
When Jonah moved in with his grandmother, he’d been through more than most children his age, and school had become a place of constant conflict. His therapist worked with both of them, giving his grandmother tools to use at home between sessions. About a year later, Jonah was named student of the quarter at that same school. When things get tough at home, his grandmother says, she can still hear his therapist reminding her how far he has come.
We are mindful that we hold our resources in trust.
A few years ago, we wanted to know what would happen if a young person’s mentor worked toward the same goals as their therapist. Instead of building a whole new program on a hunch, we used a local health plan grant to test the idea small. It worked, and participation nearly tripled within a year. The same approach led to a short-term, high-intensity therapy option that meets families at home, designed to help people through a rough patch before it turns into a hospital stay. We test carefully, grow what works, and make every dollar go as far as it can.
We are passionate about our mission.
One of our foster moms got a call about a teenage girl who had already lived in more than twenty homes and was about to be sent to a facility. The foster mom didn’t see a list of problems. She saw a girl who had been uprooted too many times and deserved a place to put down roots, and she said yes. Our team stood with her the whole way. The girl stayed three years, long enough to find a steadiness she’d never had.
We believe in the importance of strong relationships and community connections.
Sometimes a child can’t go home. When one family reached that point, two of our family time staff planned a goodbye visit that honored the bond the family still shared. They made a small photo album and handprint keepsakes, one set for the parents and one for the child. The family left with something to keep—proof that their connection was real, whatever came next. Out in the community, Members build connections of their own, volunteering everywhere from the food bank to local animal shelters.
