While out on a walk after Thanksgiving, I was having a conversation with a friend. As we walked along, crunching the leaves and fallen acorns, we began talking about what we were thankful for. Our conversation touched on something subtle and perhaps overlooked; we talked about acknowledging and thanking those around us. 

I had always taken the two terms as almost synonyms, as I had often heard the term “acknowledgment” used in meetings and conferences— usually involving the act of thanking a person, a group, or an organization. However, you don't need to thank someone to acknowledge their efforts, ideas, and actions. That could be as simple as saying “great work,” or "brilliant idea,” or simply letting your colleague know that you see and value their contributions.

We often reflect on things like joy and gratitude during the holiday season. But how often during the busy work year do we simply pause to acknowledge one another? For me, as for many of you out there, this summer was very busy! With reports, data collection, analysis, and so many competing priorities, I look back and wonder how I may have overlooked the work of my colleagues and statewide partners: 

• The End Commercial Tobacco Campaign (ECTC) observation surveys were created in collaboration with CTCP and its funded projects.  We'd especially like to recognized the following advisory group members: Steve Roussos, Sue Haun, Rachel Gratz-Lazarus, Daisy Lopez, Jay Macedo, Kim Homer-Vagadori, Leslie Ferreira, Ashley Stegall, Tracy Andrews, Christy Lopez, Steve Jensen, Cheryl Edora, Elizabeth Andersen-Rodgers, David Stupplebeen, Bayo Akintunde, Terence Kelly, Jena Grosser, Andrea Guzman, and Tam Vuong.
• With the help of the Hispanic Coordinating Center, ECTC materials were translated and tested in Spanish
• TCEC and CTCP created a dedicated website with resources for ECTC Key Informant Interviews, Observations, and Public Intercept Survey data collection, including recorded trainings for each and additional resources to respond to local needs.
• The TCEC team answered 1,126 TA requests just for observation data collection!
• LLAs participated in nine monthly Q&A calls with our partners around the state!
• As a result of all this, LLAs visited nearly 3,000 stores, over 1,200 MUH complexes, nearly 400 parks, and over 600 sidewalks throughout California!

We look forward to our continued partnerships and collaborations with you all.  Let me take the time to say thank you to all who are working to make our state a healthier place, this year, and beyond!