From the President and CEO

How do you measure community resilience? Is it a simple concept or is it complex? Is it measurable like a municipal bond rating, or more elusive than that?

At The Horizon Foundation, we believe that resilience is strongly related to a community's overall health and wellness. Put another way - to the extent that physical, mental and social well-being are high within a community - there is greater resilience than when these factors are low.

A resilient community is able to cope with unexpected risks and threats and, in better times, to seize upon new opportunities. As the environment in which people and institutions operate becomes more turbulent, it is critical to foster those aspects of community that increase wellness and health - and community resilience.

In today's challenging environment, health foundations are called upon to meet multiple needs. It is a time when there are significant challenges to community health and wellness: for children and adolescents, older adults, at-risk populations and the population in general. The Horizon Foundation is dedicated to providing a strong comparative advantage to Howard County in addressing these challenges.

This report highlights some of the activities that comprise our organization's strategic agenda. All are directed at improving community resilience. To a person, our Board of Trustees and staff believe that the only way to meet today's considerable health and wellness threats is to stay focused, set clear priorities and aggressively implement priority programs.

It is our privilege and responsibility to make informed decisions as stewards of the Foundation's considerable resources. As this report indicates, we do so in close, organic partnership with many others. As the Foundation and its work get woven into the fabric of community life, our expectation is that community resiliency will be considerably strengthened.