One of my 2014 goals is to attend at least two networking/developmental events per month and am I glad that I did. This morning I attended an Entrepreneurship Forum at Western Michigan University and the guest speaker was a man named Dale Anderson. By 9am, I was in tears.
His story was so inspirational. He has worked as a counselor with young people in the court system for the past several years. He realized that talk therapy was often not enough to overcome the barriers that the young people faced on the day to day. Dale wanted to develop a more powerful way to impact and change these youngsters lives to help them become successful members of society.
His main idea was to create a business that employed and trained teenagers with criminal records. "The work would help them learn work and life skills on a job they are paid to do." After meddling from one idea to the next, he joked that maybe he should open a chocolate shop. His joke of calling the business "Confections with Convictions" stuck and three years later, he is still in business.
Giving these kids a second chance at succeeding in this world is what Dale does every day. Where others may turn a cold shoulder, he is there with welcoming arms.Throughout his speech, he got emotional time and time again talking about the kids lives he'd impacted and how much they had overcame. He wasn't the only one in the room brought to tears.
We all can learn something from Dale. In any way that we can impact or uplift another individual, we should. You never know when those words of kindness or experienced advice may change a persons life. He took it to the next level by being dedicating his life to being that change in others. He was truly an inspiration and just filled my heart with joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment