Relationships based on fun can get a community through the tough times.
    While observing one of the ACCORD meetings, the mid-management group configured to look at individual family situations, a strange thing happened. The situation being reviewed was particularly difficult and involved a family who was considering relinquishing on an adoption. Midway through the discussion, one of the members turned to another member and said, "Did you bring pictures of your new granddaughter?" He grinned, immediately pulled out his wallet and started passing around pictures. Within two minutes, other ACCORD members had pulled out pictures and were passing them around the group. The observers were not sure which kid's pictures belonged to whom but looked at the pictures along with the other members of the group. Ten minutes later, the pictures were put away and the group developed a plan to support the family so they didn't have to relinquish. At the end of the meeting, the observers asked the group what the picture sharing was all about. One member replied, "We learned early on that if we weren't prepared to have fun together, we wouldn't do a good job working together. We have a history of having dinners together because it allows us to enjoy each other rather than simply coming together around the hard things. The fun is what keeps us coming back together on busy days."

An early lesson learned in Stark County is that building a cross system infrastructure is hard work. In narrowing the cultural chasms which exist across systems there is much opportunity for conflict and painful communication. Recognizing how difficult this work can be, the Family Council early on recognized the importance of humor and fun in order to get the job done and to keep people coming back to the table.

One of the important elements in having fun around interagency development is for the community to identify artifacts and rituals which can evoke a joyful response. This occurred in Stark County through a variety of activities. One activity involved dinners together at people's homes. This social environment provided System Executives with the opportunity to "let their hair down" while creating a common social experience. Additionally, the Stark Family Council has a series of toys and artifacts which are meaningful to those Executives. One toy is a dinosaur which became a symbol for old-style thinking. Those toys and artifacts are kept in the Stark County Family Council offices and are available to anyone in the community when they want to make a point. It is not unusual for System Executives to stop by the Family Council office to pick up one of those when they are going to make a presentation either about the Family Council or their own system.

In addition, when one reads the notes from the initial planning retreats it becomes clear that each of these retreats allowed time for enjoyable activities. Good natured kidding and personal communication have become a driving force in the way people interact in Stark County. People know the names of each other's children and take the time to ask about them. This sets the stage for communication around the hard times and critical system decisions. Knowing who your partner is and being able to laugh with them makes it much easier to work through conflicts together.