One of my favorite books as a child was The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.1 It is the story of a country bunny who longs to be an Easter Bunny. The older male bunnies laugh at her because she is a girl and because she is poor, and only a cottontail, and because she has 21 children. What they failed to recognize is the power of organization and the major skills one would have to develop to raise 21 children, speed being among them!! When the mother bunny went to apply for 1 of 5 positions delivering eggs to children, she demonstrated how everyone played a part in maintaining his or her daily life, freeing her up to be able to work. She had taught her children a variety of roles, based on their particular gifts. Some of the children were good at sewing and designing clothes. Others were cooks. Some were artists and decorators. Some could sing, others could dance, thereby keeping everyone entertained. Some were gardeners and produced food. Some cleaned, washed dishes, and washed and ironed clothes. One in particular was the most polite and took care of the others. The head bunny realized that the country bunny was wise, kind, swift, and clever, for helping her children learn to use their gifts and the contributions all of them could make.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN). Over the coming year, we will be celebrating the role of our founders, our previous leaders, and, most important, our members. All of our members have gifts that have contributed to the growth of our association and to the specialty of neonatal nursing. Some are writers, some are teachers, some are researchers. Some have the gift of encouragement, some are nurturers, and some are the creative, out-of-the-box thinkers who make us look at the world in a new way. All of us are caretakers. None of us could achieve the things our organization has without using the varied strengths of our members working together. Like all organizations, NANN must not only recognize the various strengths of our members, but to be successful, we must capitalize on these gifts.2 We must also appreciate and capitalize on our differences, to take advantage of everyone's natural talents.
What are your talents? Everyone has them. Are you inquisitive? Have you thought about research? Do you like to teach, or precept new nurses. Do you like to write? Can you contribute artwork or photography? Do you like to read? If so, you might make a great peer reviewer. Do you have the gift of service? If so, there are many places NANN can use you. Imagine what we could get done if all our members volunteered for something, no matter how big or small the task seems!! The next 25 years would be revolutionary!!
As Advances in Neonatal Care enters its ninth year, it must be noted that it could not be published without the gifts of many people who volunteer their time to make the journal a success. I thank our writers, editors, reviewers, photographers, publishers, and readers, all of whom are essential for making this journal come together. The editorial board members and the NANN board of directors are listed in the front of the journal. Without their help and vision, this journal would not exist. The series editors are listed there as well. This volunteer position takes an inordinate amount of time to review and edit manuscripts, recruit and coach new authors, and review the manuscript before it goes out to the readers. I also thank our publishers and the staff at Lippincott who do a great job pulling all the manuscripts together into a cohesive journal. Last but certainly not the least are the peer reviewers whose names are listed on the following page. They carefully review each manuscript that goes in the journal, offering feedback and suggestions to make each manuscript the best possible.
If you work with one of our great volunteers, thank them for their hard work. If your name is not on one of the lists mentioned-feel free to contact us. We would be happy to have your help!!
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