Message from the President... Make a Difference

Dreams are quite complex, aren’t they? The other morning, I awoke from a deep sleep and remembered sitting by a small lake in Erie, Pa with my grandfather. It was a sunny afternoon day in August and Pop-Pop decided to take my brother and I to the local fishing hole. Well, the fish were not biting so my brother and I quickly found other things to do – like skipping stones on the water. We had a competition to see who could skip the farthest and who had the most skips. Well, I came in last and was quite upset since I was the only one who plays baseball. Since Pop-Pop won, he said he had something special for us. My dream skipped around for a bit, but I remembered us going into my grandfather’s church and we all started to set up for a dinner event. My brother and I had to wash down the tables and set up chairs. After that, we were asked to peel the carrots and potatoes. My dream then took a weird turn and the last thing I remembered was that I was running to school to take a math test which I hadn’t even studied for…. Crazy, right? I share this quick story because it reminded me of the saying, “…like the ripple effect when a stone lands in a lake, so your kindness extends beyond your own initial effort...”. Basically, when you do something for someone else, you forget about your own troubles. That’s the thing about giving – making that positive difference for someone today leaves a legacy of kindness that can be passed on to others. Making a difference in someone’s life can be as small as sitting down and talking to someone or as big as volunteering to build a much-needed community project. Therefore, I encourage us all to examine the positive difference you make in other’s lives, and begin to build your legacy today!