Kate: You're right, of course... just because a person (or an organization) is deathly ill doesn't mean that we always just pull the plug. Sometimes we do. The main thing I hope people get from wrestling with the case is an understanding that the people who made this particular decision weren't mean, uninformed people making a bizarre decision. Circumstances put them there, and they made the decision that they thought was right at the time. I believe that they really thought that their decision was in the best interests of the community and clients. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

It's fun to think about what we would have done in their place, but it's hard to really get in their shoes. A better question, I suppose, is how can we make sure that we never get in their place? The more we know about leadership, board development, financial management, and interpersonal communications, the more we can do to keep ourselves from repeating this history.

Mark