Obama also used pictures of two very different homes to illustrate an important point: Perceptions leave powerful imprints on a community, but they can also be used as an organizational tool to approach that community. Obama explained that the dilapidated two-flat house in the first of her pictures and the beautiful, refurbished graystone in the second are across the street from one another in the same South Side neighborhood, symbolizing the area’s socioeconomic diversity. “The lens through which you choose to view your community defines the possibilities,” Obama said. “If you can only see the deficits, it’s very difficult to understand what you can do and how you can benefit as a company.”

After summarizing the community relations programming that she and the Hospitals have created and implemented – including pediatric mobile home units as well as school “Principal-For-A-Day” and community fitness programs – Obama concluded her address by showing hard numbers that indicated to the Hospitals’ lenders and donors that their outreach efforts are having a measurable impact. Case in point: The Hospitals’ roster of volunteers has doubled in the last three years, which means a higher level of preventative care in the community and, ideally, lower hospitalization rates. “We’ve gone from [the notion of] ‘community service is the right thing to do’ to ‘community service is a critical part of keeping our doors open’,” Obama said.