Extra Mile Award Winner(s) #10...(a tie!)
Rebecca Drobnick, Operation Homefront
Columbus, Ohio
and
Diane Lesneski Auger, Friends for Tomorrow
Boston, Massachusetts
Operation Homefront serves as the organization that helps hold things together for a family while a soldier is away. The group provides emergency aid such as food, baby items, and help with vehicle repair for families at home. They help with a computer if necessary so a family can stay in touch with a loved one. If a soldier comes home wounded, Operation Homefront is there to help the hero in every way possible.
In all these cases, members of the organization are eager to jump to the front of the "I'll help you!" line when a military family is struggling. Operation Homefront helps take the sting out of many families' real-life struggles because worrying about your "person" is one sting enough for a family to endure.
I had the good fortune of interviewing one of the amazing 4,500 national volunteers of Operation Homefront...Rebecca Drobnick. In Ohio, there are more than 30,000 Ohioans serving the country militarily. Her son, Caleb, is one of them. When Caleb enlisted in the National Guard, Rebecca got on the internet to see what she could do to show support as a mom. She discovered the national Operation Homefront organization, but unfortunately, no chapter existed in Ohio.
Rebecca went to work starting one.
During her first Christmas as new Chapter President, Rebecca threw her total energy into a toy drive project. A lot of leaders lead by pointing a finger and telling someone else, "Go do that!" But not Rebecca. She led the toy project by driving her red Dodge truck all over the state...making a pit-stop at 167 Ohio stores...and personally picking up over 140,000 toys.
I think that kind of individual effort is worth checking the record books.
After two years, this single mom has gone to work developing a strong statewide support team. She has found key leaders in the nine largest Ohio cities, and has "enlisted" the support of over 200 volunteers to help the "For the military family" cause. Rebecca's role has been so inspiring, focused, and results-oriented, that the national organization has since lured Rebecca away from her full-time office manager job and created Ohio's first paid Operation Homefront position.
Do what you love with enough passion long enough...and people will notice you. That's what a mentor somewhere along life's teaching path has shared. Rebecca's real life success proves that it is true.
"I eat, sleep, and drink Operation Homefront. If my son can do his part in the National Guard, I can do my part to help the men and women like my son."
For many military families sending their person overseas, there is a sense of lingering hopelessness. Their person can't be protected by hugging arms or any walls of safety that can be constructed. A family's only solace is prayer. And supporting each other.
"So much of the time when I talk to another mom or wife, I just want to stand there and hold their hand and listen. As a mom, you are feeling their fear."
Thank you, Rebecca, for not only caring enough to hold hands with worried families, but by giving all the heroes protecting our country a little less to worry about at home.
*****
Diane Lesneski Auger's future was cemented on one special day.
She was in high school and she was a "barn rat." "Barn rats" are people who love horses and will do everything they can to be around them. Grooming them, feeding them, walking them, cleaning messy stalls after them...to a barn rat, none of this is a big deal. They love it all.
And that describes Diane.
It seems along the growing-up line, all little girls fall in love with horses and ponies. But with most little girls, the horse dream fades because of a family's means and ability to have and care for one. When one is lucky enough to live near a big ranch, however, the love of horses in a little girl is fostered and allowed to grow.
And when that happens, as in Diane's case, the love of horses continues forever.
But it wasn't just Diane's love of horses that changed her life. It's the miracle she witnessed firsthand with what being around horses can do.
"When I was a teenager, I saw a young boy...around 12...approach the horse he had been spending time on. The boy had never been able to communicate words until this one special day where he got next to the horse's face and whispered, 'Thank you.' Seeing something like that changes a person's life."
With that small whisper, Diane's future...with horses...was forever determined.
In 1994, Diane started Friends for Tomorrow, a therapeutic horseback riding program to help physically and emotionally challenged children. Soliciting the donation of a single horse, a riding site, and discounted board and feed, Diane began her program with just 3 participants. Today, the program has grown from that single borrowed horse to a flourishing and well-respected national program that serves 44 students annually...with a significant waiting list.
In her program, each young rider becomes friends with a special horse. The young rider learns to groom, lead, and ride. Each session involves a unique team that consists of the child rider, an instructor, and one, two, or three volunteers depending on the seriousness of the rider's handicap.
The reason there is a waiting list is because of what happens in her program. Parents witness miraculous change in their kids. They boast that their child's self-confidence is raised...muscles, flexibility, balance, and posture are enhanced and strengthened...communication attempts are increased...and the young rider's mind and body explode with an experience that connects them to the world in a deeply moving fashion.
"There is something wonderfully spiritual about horses. They seem to be able to read emotional states in people in a very special way. Developmentally challenged children seem to thrive around horses. The setting can be magical."
This is what I think the kids of Friends for Tomorrow experience on Diane's horses. This is what that young 12-year-old boy felt when he communicated his first whisper to a horse 20+ years ago. This is what Diane feels every time she puts one of her students on a horse.
Some moments in life are pretty darn magical. Some miracles in life are unexplainable. And some groups...like Diane Lesneski Auger's...are very much needed.
Thank you, Diane...for staying true to your vision and making a difference in life for those often overlooked.
Extra Mile Award Winner(s) #9...(a tie!)
Sacramento Children's Home, Sacramento, California
and
Mount Saint Vincent Home, Denver, Colorado
Two organizations with virtually similar missions...Sacramento Children's Home and Mount Saint Vincent Home in Denver...earn the ninth Extra Mile American Award.
I mean, really, how can you ever top two organizations that have been helping children in need since 1867 and 1883 respectively?
I have done my best to always focus on specific extra-mile people...their stories are always easier to relate to than an organization...yet it's tough to beat what these two organizations have accomplished in terms of service and longevity over the last 125+ years.
It doesn't get much more extra mile than that.
Sacramento Children's Home provides a host of programs to abused and at-risk children. The Home reaches over 3,500 kids in the Sacramento area each year.
Mount Saint Vincent provides services for children with a wide range of emotional problems that prevent them from reaching their ultimate potential. The Home has helped over 18,000 children since its inception.
Sacramento Children's Home and Mount Saint Vincent started as orphanages. In Sacramento during the gold rush, it was noted that children were living wild on the riverbanks. In Denver, Mount Saint Vincent was the first organization that provided a home for orphans. Since then, both organizations have molded themselves to meet whatever needs the changing years have required. Today, both organizations stand as a national leader.
Both children's homes have served as a family to those children who had none...and both organizations have brought together families who had previously been torn apart. The organizations have provided grounding and security when it was lacking. They have provided direction and support when none existed.
Sacramento Children's Home and Mount Saint Vincent Home have helped write the history of two great American cities, and today...under the respective leadership of Sacramento's CEO Roy Alexander and Denver's Chief Advancment Officer Bill Roth...they continue to lend a hand in writing Sacramento and Denver's respective futures.
I am happy to add to your next 125 years by making a small Extra Mile America contribution of $500 to each of you.
Extra Mile Award Winner #8...
Mindy Derr, Fore Hope
Columbus, Ohio
Perhaps at first, Mindy Derr's passion for golf stemmed from a desire to spend time with a father whom she saw as the greatest dad in the world. Or perhaps, it was just Dad's genetic genes kicking in making it impossible to avoid the destiny of the family's golfing DNA.
Either way, it became inevitable that this "daddy's girl" would find thrill in a game that chased a little white ball around acres of green grass.
At the beginning, golf was a bridge for Mindy. It was a bridge to fun. It was a bridge to enjoying nature. It was a bridge to challenge. It was a bridge to connecting with her dad and the people she loved.
But in 1989, all those bridges came tumbling down.
Mindy's father...her golfing hero...lost his ability to speak and walk. Guy Derr became demobilized by one of life's most cruel and heartbreaking diseases...Lou Gehrig's disease. Gone were the days of his fluid left-handed swing knocking the ball 250 yards down the fairway.
Life had thrown a devastating blow to the Derr family.
It's uncomfortable to imagine stepping back in Derr family history in order to experience the moment's broken-hearted pain. More than likely...in different ways...we each have been touched by a moment of devastation when our whole world collapses...when we feel life's super-hard and never-ending pinch on our heart. But Mindy's pain was not short-lived. Watching someone slip away with Lou Gehrig's disease is a hard pinch that gets worse by the day. It's a disease that steals hope right in front of your eyes.
But Mindy was not about to let hope be stolen.
Utilizing every bridge-building lesson she had ever learned from the game of golf, Mindy Derr cast her vision on building her greatest golf bridge yet...a therapy program called Fore Hope.
Call it "for the love of her father"...call it "for the love of the game"...but Fore Hope became Mindy's heart-burning passion; it became her overwhelming life purpose.
Mindy needed to find a way to get people like her dad who were disabled with crippling disease and disability back on the golf course where they felt alive. Mindy needed to find a way to help stroke victims down the fairway again. Mindy needed to find a way to help amputees hold onto and swing a club. Mindy needed to find a way to let golf's magical healing and rehabilitative powers work miracles on those whose faith in miracles had been rattled.
What started as one person's challenge to help the disabled get back on the course has today turned into a national model in physical rehabilitation programs. What started out as a daughter's mission to support her father has turned into a giant lesson for the heart and mind.
Mindy's lesson..."If you really believe...talk yourself into it...and go for it!"
Over twenty years later, Mindy Derr's Fore Hope is going stronger than ever. She has linked up with the Professional Golf Association and Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Golf Tournament in a big way. Never once in the whole creating process did Mindy ever think small.
She quit her job. She left her financial security. She invested every cent she had into building a viable organization capable of supporting the handicapped to get back out on the course. In time, energy, money and personal sacrifice, Mindy gave the mission her all.
Some people in life experience tragedy and fall into a life pattern of bitterness and defeat. Mindy Derr took her family's life tragedy and turned it into a miracle blessing for others. She has helped thousands of disabled individuals who weren't ready to zip their last golf ball up in the bag to tee it up one more time, and perhaps simultaneously, learn to smile...and curse...over a little white ball all over again.
Extra Mile Award Winner #7...
Creighton Wong, Challenged Athletes Foundation
Oakland, California
I met him in Oakland, California.
Little did I know at that time, the thirty minutes I spent with him would subsequently provide the inspiration to carry me over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and across the 110+ degree heat of the Nevada desert.
"If Creighton can...I can!"
The self-spoken words greeted my every giant pedal push on the bike as I passed one elevation marker after another all the way to the top of the Sierra's 8900+ foot Carson Pass.
So who is this inspiration? Who exactly is Creighton Wong?
For starters, Creighton Wong is an extraordinarily self-empowered human being. He thinks and talks and lives with an attitude a bit different from the rest of us. He just believes he can.
All the time.
What makes Creighton so extraordinarily special is that he walks...let me correct that...he swims, and bikes, and runs through life with an attitude that is as powerfully positive as any human being I have ever met. I suppose when you're a triathlete exercising 1- 2 ½ hours a day four days a week, you have to carry that sort of motivation with you. Any of us who have struggled to get on the treadmill for 20 minutes for just one day a week can relate to the sort of positive energy it takes just to get off the couch.
Some days, it takes a massive amount.
But Creighton does more than the casual 20 minute treadmill spin. He swims a mile. He rides a bike for 25 miles. He then runs for another 6 miles. The swim...the bike ride...the run...he does them all together, one after the other. Heck, I love exercise and the benefits that come with it, but I think that is an awesome test of physical fitness.
Oh...and by the way...Creighton Wong is a congenital amputee.
Being born without a right leg, and missing two fingers on his left hand and three fingers on his right hand, is no big deal to Creighton. He doesn't over analyze the situation and think, "I can't do that." He just finds a way. He never feels sorry for himself and wishes things were different. He just doesn't. He accepts and moves forward.
"The 'I wish' game is a dangerous game," Creighton believes. "I am much more appreciative of things just watching how they unfold."
Born in 1973, Creighton has always played sports...soccer, little league baseball, basketball, volleyball, four square...everything. Today, he races for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and fundraises for young children who are amputees so that they have access to prosthetics, and thus, the ability to compete in whatever sport they choose.
Creighton has taken his "difference"...what many of us would have considered a reason to throw in the towel...and has turned it into something positive. In doing so, he has naturally elevated himself into a real life super hero...for young amputees, for wounded soldiers, for cancer survivors, for accident victims...for all of us with two legs.
"Sure there were times when the bad days outnumbered the good; when the failures outnumbered the successes," Creighton shares. "But in every failure is an opportunity to learn, and I've learned two things: How to fall. And how to pick myself up. Honestly, I'm not smart enough to know how to quit. I really just don't know how to do it."
Thank you, Creighton.
Thank you for not knowing how to quit. Thank you for pushing past pre-conceived limitations. Thank you for helping me climb every mountain pass and make it across the country on a bike. Thank you for being a true Extra Mile American.
And thank you, too, for your words.
"I can!"
Extra Mile Award Winner #6...
Tom Tuohy, Dreams For Kids
Chicago, Illinois
When I met Tom Tuohy for the first time, he greeted me with a huge smile and a burst of energy. It was as sincere and powerful as if he had just been reunited with a friend from the past. When Tom walks into a room, it becomes a special place not because he has arrived, but because he sees that YOU have.
"I love what you're doing! I love everything about the extra mile message! To quote Roger Staubach, 'There is no traffic jam on the extra mile!'"
You can tell Tom means what he says. Sincerity...and passion...radiate from every word and action that come from him. It's the Tom Tuohy way.
The SIXTH Extra Mile America award winner is Tom Tuohy and the Dreams for Kids organization.
The Dreams for Kids start...like many other great organizational beginnings...has its roots planted in a simple act of giving. On December 24, 1989, Tom and a dozen volunteer friends visited a Chicago homeless shelter. At the shelter were 54 kids who, it seemed, Santa had forgotten. But he really hadn't.
Santa just needed Tom Tuohy to drive him there.
It was on that "miracle" night, a commitment was made to follow through every year with the same giving attitude. It was on that night, Dream for Kids was born. Since that first evening when the 54 children were treated with great food and presents, 28,000 kids have been impacted by the Dreams for Kids mission.
And now this organization has a presence in over 30 countries.
Dreams for Kids not only serves the homeless and underprivileged through its annual Holiday for Hope program, it also reaches out with its Extreme Recess program to children who are developmentally and physically challenged.
In a Dreams for Kids world, no kid would be forgotten on Christmas, and no kid would be left looking at the field from the sideline. Dreams for Kids is all about giving disadvantaged kids the opportunity to live life just like any other kid.
The poor, the homeless, the disabled...those are Dreams for Kids' kids. And that's extraordinarily extra mile in my book.
Congratulations, Dreams for Kids! I am so very, very happy to give you $1,000...and the sixth Extra Mile America award.
Extra Mile Award Winner #5...
Steveanna Wynn, SHARE Food Program
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Me: "You provided food for 100,000 different families last year...really?" (Asked in disbelief.)
Her: "Yes." (Answered in a matter-of-fact tone.)
Me: "You're also telling me that your organization distributes food to over 550 locations...in five different states...every month?" (Asked in awe.)
Her: "Yes." (Answered again in a matter-of-fact tone.)
I sat there looking at her...and she back at me. I was contemplating the scope and logistics of such an undertaking.
"That is amazing!" The words finally came out.
I had never heard of the SHARE Food Program and as I sat there considering the logistics of ordering food, storing food, and delivering food to over five states, I was blown away. I had been challenged by the logistics of coordinating my own "little" bike ride across the country...but, in my mind, this program had earned a Ph.D in "Phenomenal Coordination."
As the leader of this masterpiece in extra mile success, Executive Director Steveanna Wynn seemed pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. "For us, it's the routine. We're used to the hustle."
To the delight of east coast food kitchens responsible for feeding the homeless and poor...thank goodness this is all just "routine" for SHARE. To Steveanna, the vibrant and entirely humble leader of this awesome food program, their effort and story seemed to be no big deal.
But it is.
The FIFTH Extra Mile America award winner is the SHARE Food Program led by Steveanna Wynn.
The SHARE Food Program accomplishes their massive goal of reaching out to 100,000 families in two ways:
1. SHARE serves as the ultimate "neighborhood mom" feeding the "neighbor kids."
SHARE earns this "mom" title because they take care of providing food to 550 food distribution centers a week. And...as the process unfolds...these "kids" (the churches, schools, shelters, and community centers) then reach out with their dinner bell to the poor and homeless in their communities, "Come...and we'll serve you a hot meal."
It all starts with what goes on in the 1,700 square foot cooler space, the 3,000 square foot freezer, and the 70,000 square foot giant warehouse which serves as the largest food pantry imaginable.
Then once the cooler, freezer, and pantry are stocked from local food vendors, the SHARE delivery truck starts rolling. Yes...THE truck. There is only one.
One truck or not, if there is a food shelter anywhere close to Pennsylvania, Delaware, Metro New York, New Jersey or the Maryland Eastern Shore, chances are pretty good that the food originated from SHARE.
2. SHARE also understands that families beyond the homeless need help with their food bill.
Individual families are able to purchase affordable, wholesome food packages for more than 50% below normal store prices. But there is a catch to participate in this low cost, high quality food program. For each package of food purchased, SHARE asks that TWO hours of good deed time be SHARED back with the community.
You need to volunteer. Somewhere.
The SHARE program has a creative "Pass it Forward" mentality.This isn't just a program about serving food; it's a program dedicated to helping people reconnect with their communities. With SHARE, food is not the only thing that should be shared freely, but also time helping your community.
Under the SHARE plan, everybody wins. Families get a big break on their food bills and the community gets a big lift by volunteers donating hours. The SHARE motto: "Do good. Feel good. Eat good."
What does it take to make this all happen?
How about only six paid staff. That's it! Thank goodness, though, for the volunteer mentality SHARE sows because 2,000+ volunteers also step forward each month to make this all happen.
Six staff...a big pantry...one truck...2,000 volunteers...and 100,000 happy families. To me, that is really a pretty cool extra mile miracle. And in my mind, completely worthy of Extra Mile America Award #5.
Extra Mile Award Winner #4...
Roxanne Black, Friends' Health Connection
New Brunswick, New Jersey
When I think of Roxanne, it's impossible not to be greatly inspired. There are a few reasons why.
1. Roxanne is a total survivor. She is the epitome of shear toughness and has endured challenges that you and I will hopefully never know. She has had two kidney transplants and has faced many moments where the truth of life's shortness has shouted in her ear. But not only has she made it through each of these moments victoriously, she did it by moving forward boldly...personally and professionally.
2. Roxanne has a depth of spirit and quality that is extraordinary. After sharing 90 minutes in conversation with Roxanne, I walked away realizing that I had just met one of the most empowered people I had ever had the privilege of knowing. She thinks deeply...she feels deeply...and she makes every one of her days on earth count by sharing a message of inspiration and hope. With numerous "close call" days in her life...and having been touched by so many who have had their last day...Roxanne doesn't take life for granted. She gives her life her 100% best effort. Every day.
3. Roxanne is a builder of something great. Her creation, the Friends' Health Connection, is an organization built from the heart. Roxanne doesn't just "match up" people for love or business...she connects people who are in a far more life-threatening situation. They are physically sick...some very. In being a special matchmaker, Roxanne provides individuals with a friend...a kindred spirit who can relate with what they are individually experiencing. And in that, the seeds of empowered hope and support are planted and watered. Roxanne has facilitated thousands upon thousands of relationships for people who needed support at...maybe...the worst time in their lives.
A few more facts about this inspirational person?
1. At age 15, Roxanne was diagnosed with Lupus. Lupus is a disease that compromises the immune system to the point where good cells start to be attacked. The result of this disease is serious kidney failure.
2. Roxanne has had two kidney transplants...the first at age 23. Her sister gave her one of hers in one of those amazing "I love you so much!" gestures. At age 30, unfortunately, Roxanne's donated kidney failed, and she went through the process again. This time her "life gift" was given by an 8 month old child whose life had sadly been shortened. Roxanne's gone through it all: the surgeries, the chemo, the medicines, the scares, the negative prognoses.
Most of us struggle through the "little" worries in life:
"Will I ever find something I love?"..."Will the right person ever show up?"..."How am I going to pay for that?"
Roxanne created an organization that focuses on the "big" worries in life:
"Am I going to live?"..."Am I going to be alone in going through this process?"
The beautiful gift of organ donation was a theme that came up a few times on my trip. Each time it did, it was hard not to ache for the person telling the story.
Lisa Osmond in Salt Lake City was the first person whose story I heard. Her son Adam came home from school one day with a request that no parent ever wants to fulfill. Adam had just heard a program regarding organ donation at school, and after sharing what he learned with his mother, Adam asked Lisa, "Mom...if something happens to me...will you make sure my organs are donated?" A few weeks later, Adam died. Lisa honored his request.
What made Lisa a super-hero in my mind, though, was that she took Adam's request and turned it into a life-changing mission...like Roxanne. Lisa is now one of the leading spokespeople in her state for Yes, Utah!...an organ donor registry program.
Ted Cochran had a powerful story, too. After being given life a second time by his mother with her donated kidney, Ted decided to start the My Angel Foundation. Afterward, he gave up his career and decided to help promote a cause bigger than anything else he could ever do in business...highlight the importance of organ donation. Like Roxanne, Ted is following a higher purpose now with his new mission.
Lisa and Ted? They are true extra mile champions in my book: Lisa for turning her tragedy into a cause to save others' lives...and Ted for his mission and desire to encourage others to donate organs and help others live. My life has been enriched greatly by meeting them both.
But the "inspiration" who had two kidney transplants...and then built an organization starting in her college dorm room that has now helped thousands and thousands with no end in sight... has captured my highest admiration. On her mission of connection, she is a matchmaker extraordinaire...and has been for over twenty years. And now, her organization has expanded and taken another step: highlighting and making accessible some of the world's most inspiring speakers.
Like Lisa and Ted, Roxanne reminds us that when tragedy sets in...you take the news and run away from the darkness and into the light. You do not hunker down and cease to live. You boldly choose life. You choose to smile and laugh. You choose to build and grow. You choose to "keep on keeping on."
Congratulations, Roxanne. I am so very, very happy to give you $1,000 and award you an Extra Mile America Award.
Extra Mile Award Winner #3...
Ruth Leacock, Computers 4 Africa
Omaha, Nebraska
I'll tell you, it's pretty hard to ignore Ruth and her mission. I mean, c'mon...really? Who believes in their cause enough to drive around town with GIANT mouse ears on top of a car?
Ruth Leacock does. It's because this super energetic grandmother loves Africa that darn much.
The mouse ears on the car? It's symbolic.
Her and her co-creator (husband Tim) have been on a ten year mission to send refurbished computers to Africa. The mouse ears on top of the car that she boldly drives around in is her way of saying that even a simple computer mouse can grow up and have big dreams.
Like going to Africa.
Computers For Africa has sent over 1,850 computers to Uganda. Those computers have served 117 schools and benefited 60,000 students.
Impressive, huh?
The idea originated ten years ago when they collected computers from friends and businesses and shipped them to Africa in a half-filled 20-foot container. From there, the commitment kept growing. From 2004-2006, the Leacocks put everything they owned in a 10 x 14 storage area and moved to Uganda. Kids and grandkids were left behind. They said good-bye to friends. They were people on a mission.
I met a number of others with a deep love and passion for Africa. There was Ruth's fellow Nebraskan, Karen Van Dyke. Like the Leacock's, Karen was forever changed by a visit to Africa, and now she passionately leads an organization called Educate Uganda.
Aisha Desince and Dee Johnson from Providence, Rhode Island (Khadarlis for Sierra Leone) and Ije Oblio from Newark, New Jersey (Nigerian Healthcare Foundation) have big dreams when it comes to their own African vision. Washington, D.C.'s, Gannon Gillespie and an organization founded by his aunt, Tostan.org, have been educating and empowering Africans for over 30 years in human rights, health, economic, and environmental issues.
Each of these individuals watered seeds in my own mind of doing something even more "extra mile." Up to this point in my life, my personal vision had never extended as far as any of these people's vision geographically. Karen, Aisha, Dee, Ije, and Gannon each have played a role in how I now look at my own future extra-mile endeavors.
But in the end, I was taken by the extra mile grandma who drives around Omaha, Nebraska with mouse ears.
In total commitment...passion...vision...and creativity...Ruth Leacock captured my attention as fully as anybody I met on my 4,000+ mile journey. She succeeds because total immersion knows no other way. She reminds me that not only can a "mouse" dream of accomplishing bigger things...but maybe I can, too.
Congratulations, Ruth. I am so very, very happy to give you $1,000 and award you and your husband an Extra Mile America Award.
Extra Mile Award Winner #2...
Brad and Libby Birky, The S.A.M.E Cafe
Denver, Colorado
The second Extra Mile America award goes to Brad and Libby Birky...the inspirational couple from Denver.
When I first met this husband and wife team, I quickly appreciated the great respect that they showed each other. The way that they looked at each other...always showing deference to the other...always smiling when the other person spoke...it really struck me. If any two people on earth were meant to find each other, it was Brad and Libby.
As I listened to their story, I was reminded of what can happen when a "team" rallies around the same concept. Even though this was a team of two, each member was solidly behind the other. Each was on the same page in belief, purpose, and passion. With a force like this, the Birky's together could accomplish whatever they choose.
They chose the S.A.M.E. Cafe.
First, Brad quit his job in the computer world. Libby then followed leaving the classroom. Their 401K was cashed out. They walked away from financial security risking everything.
But they had a dream.
They wanted to serve people. They wanted to make amazing food. They wanted to open a restaurant...SO ALL MAY EAT.
And they didn't want there to be prices on the menu.
No prices. None.
You pay what you can at the S.A.M.E. Cafe, and if you can't pay anything, you volunteer cleaning tables, sweeping up, or washing dishes.
Please understand, this is not a place to eat designated specifically for those with little money. It is a place for everybody. It is for families, for business people, for those without jobs. It is a place for those struggling and for those not struggling.
It is for all of Denver.
Brad and Libby have now reached year three and are serving up to 180 people for lunch five days a week. They walk into each day not knowing what the cash register will bring, but knowing in their hearts and minds that they are making a difference greater than any amount of money could ever measure.
They won my admiration for a willingness to lay it all on the line...and leave not just footprints in the sand...but forever footprints in concrete. They won my respect by not giving into the "we CAN"T do this because..." mentality, but found every way in the world to take on a "we CAN because..." mentality.
There were other great couple teams I met on the road.
Al and Germaine Dietsch, Founders of Spellbinders, have brought thousands of people together...the young with the old...through storytelling. Herb and Jan Hoover have been out front volunteering thirteen solid years working with U.C. Davis Health Systems. A very sweet couple, Bob and Pat Parks, have organized a number of drives and events for the Salt Lake City community. And there was Brooke Allen and Matt Migliore, Philadelphia's self-proclaimed "volunteer-aholics," who seem to just not get enough of helping others.
Each of these motivating couples made my day by allowing me to spend time with them, but in the end, I was greatly inspired by the couple who gave up everything so that they could do something unbelievably bold...and great.
l will never forget Brad and Libby...and I hope you will remember them as well.
They are Extra Mile Americans to the core who not only serve up some great food...but they also serve up some pretty powerful inspiration.
Congratulations, Brad and Libby. And thank you.
I am so very, very happy to give you $1,000 and award you the second Extra Mile America award. "Keep pedaling"..."keep cooking"...and "keep inspiring."
PS: If you're in Denver today, the lunch menu is:
Potato Cheese Soup
Broccoli Salad
Squash and Orzo Salad
Smoked Salmon White Pizza
Fresh Tomato and Feta Pizza
(www.soallmayeat.org)
Extra Mile Award Winner #1...
Raynia Kinniston
Sacramento California
The first Extra Mile America award winner is Raynia Kinniston.
Without a doubt, Raynia is definitely a person who knows something about going the extra mile.
She's 95.
On the sweetness meter, this lady registers a 10 out of 10. She’s just one of those people that flat out make you feel good the very first time you meet her. But then again, people who have lived 95 years sometimes do have that magic.
The first time I met her, she took my hand in both of hers, looked me in the eye and said, “I have looked forward to meeting you.” Talk about a master of positive first impressions, Raynia takes second to nobody.
Bright as a whip, Raynia captured me not only with her keen mind and conversation, but most importantly, her “Extra Mile” story. You see, she has been volunteering at Mercy Hospital in Sacramento, California since April of 1960.
That’s 49 years…and three years longer than I have been alive.
What does the 49 years translate into? How about over 47,000 documented volunteer hours. That is the equivalent of 5,875 full 8 hour work days…or 22 years of full-time work.
Phew!
What does she do now? She goes in three days a week. She catches a bus at 6:10 A.M. and then a train in order to get into the hospital. She then goes about sharing good cheer with everybody with whom she comes in contact.
Why did Raynia choose Mercy Hospital? Because it represented her life.
Her son and two grandchildren were born there. It’s where she was when she got the news that her son had died. Her husband died there, too. Her friends’ had so much of their happy news…and sad news…stem from there. “I just want to be here with people when they get their news. I just want to support people.”
In longevity and commitment, I met a couple others who had done pretty amazing things for a long, long time…like Roger Thatcher, 86, a volunteer from the Sacramento Food Bank. He was even nominated multiple times by people so greatly appreciative of his life. And there was Ft. Wayne’s amazing 90 year old Airport Ambassador Mary Gebhard. She shares a happy greeting and a cookie with thousands of airport travelers a year. Both Roger and Mary had that special way of making you smile…and making you so happy you had the chance to meet them.
But Raynia Kinniston and her 47,000 hours…still catching busses at 6:10 A.M.…still going the “Extra Mile”…she inspired me deeply, and is a fantastic testimony regarding dedication and continuity. She reminds me what it means to truly keep “pedaling.”
Congatulations, Raynia, you are an inspiration. I am so very, very happy to give you $1,000. and award you an Extra Mile America Award.