Last night, the Courageous Steps Project held it's 2023 Annual Dinner. Each year, our organization holds this dinner to recognize the great work that our volunteers and supporters do each year. This year, their support has been instrumental more than ever.
For the first time in my 10 years of running Courageous Steps, I was not at an event under my organization. That event happened to be our 10th Annual Back-To-School Drive. With a great team, I felt confident and prepared to leave the event in their hands, while I went out of state to speak at a conference at Penn State and spend a great few days with a crew of amazing people that are passionate about the work I do as I am. This wouldn't have happened without the initiative of our volunteers, board members, and our administrative team to take this on.
There have been instances all year where this has happened. And it has been nice to feel like I can step away and enjoy some great experiences in life!
I was talking with a few people after who received awards. One in particular said that, I (myself) should be getting award. My response was "well, I couldn't do anything without you all". The reply back was "well, none of this wouldn't exist without you". Some of that is true indeed, but I also am coming from years of running this organization, and doing all kinds of other work.
Remember that post talking about it takes a village? Yes, that one. It truly takes a village to make what we do come to fruition each and everyday. No matter how small or large the ask or need, each piece of the puzzle plays an instrumental role in what we do. What I am able to do. Sometimes others may not see it as a big deal. But for me, it's the biggest deal in that moment. It means we fulfilled what we set out to do. It means I can rest easy knowing that we are moving forward!
I read a perfect quote that a friend shared earlier today. It reads "If you don't take moments to recognize and appreciate the beauty in your life -- you will often forget how beautiful your life really is." There is more to this, but this line stuck out to me...especially for a couple reasons. One, it makes you think about the people around you and what they mean to you. Second, it makes you understand the importance that it takes a team effort to accomplish anything in life. It's not about one person. It's about the collective work we do. That is hard sometimes to balance. Because naturally, your blood, sweat, and tears can lead you to making decisions that you may not want to make. But in the long-run, I've learned that being surrounded by great people, makes you better. And I've had the honor of being surrounded by a core team of people who give of themselves, so a dream can be fulfilled. It just isn't my dream. It's a dream that many of us have had. And I'm excited to see where this dream goes!
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