• Caring
• Education
• Excellence
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
• Teamwork
• Volunteerism

Caring

Definition: Feeling and exhibiting concern and empathy for others.

The Florida STC Chapter is more than a community. We are an STC “family.” We “fly wing” for each other when life takes a shot at us.

Today, give yourself permission to be outrageously kind, irrationally warm, and improbably generous. I promise it will be a blast.
—Sasha Dichter

Education

Definition: The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.

We value education because each of us learns and grows throughout life. Some education is formal, but much is gained through life experience and the guidance and examples set by others. We learn from one another, and we pass along our knowledge and values to those around us.

The hallmark of our education core value is our flourishing mentoring program with the University of Central Florida (UCF), which we emphasize in our interactions, our meetings, and our publications. Education and teamwork provide us with opportunity to advance in our careers.

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 2 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.

—Moshe Arens

Excellence

Definition: The quality of being outstanding or extremely good.

Excellence has always been a primary core value for our community, so much so that Excellence was featured in a series of articles in Memo to Members, beginning with what it is and soon to be ending with how we maintain it. Excellence implies that we take pride in what we do.

Embracing excellence became a chapter commitment many years ago. Always striving for excellence says that we value the achievement of our goals and initiatives. Our commitment to excellence is evident in our Society recognitions: an unequalled record of nine Chapter of Distinction and two Community-of-the-Year awards in the Society’s annual Community Achievement Awards.

 The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his or her commitment to excellence, regardless of the chosen field of endeavor.

—Vince Lombardi

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Definition: The fact or policy of not excluding members or participants on the grounds of gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, etc.

Our community holds inclusivity as a cherished core value. This is evident not only in the diversity of the community’s leadership, but—even more important—in the way we welcome all who share our passion for the profession of technical communication. This creates a diverse community in which the exchange of ideas is open and encouraged.

We demonstrate inclusivity in our commitment to ensure equal accessibility to communication products for those with disabilities.

We demonstrate inclusivity in the equality of leadership opportunities we extend to our members without regard to age, race, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, color, genetic information, religion (or lack thereof), political affiliation, military veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family structure, socioeconomic status, mental or physical disability, and medical condition.

We know that in our diversity lies our strength.

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”
—Maya Angelou

Teamwork

Definition: The combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient.

Teamwork implies cooperation within the team to reach your goals. For us to have successful teamwork we must be inclusive in our membership and we must respect the opinions of others. Values such as respect, inclusivity, teamwork, spirit, pride, etc., create an atmosphere of fellowship. Collectively, they generate the warm “buzz” of clubhouse camaraderie that accompanies our monthly programs, our Administrative Council meetings, and our annual Leadership Retreat.

The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.

—Phil Jackson

Volunteerism

Definition: An altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no financial gain to benefit another person, group, or organization.

Volunteerism is service. It shows we are in touch with local, indeed international needs, which is why we volunteer. If our goals are inclusive of our community (as they should be; e.g., UCF), and if our volunteering extends beyond our chapter (as it should), and if we really care about the people we serve, then we demonstrate the value of connecting as well.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

—Margaret Mead