Innovation Symposium

When I volunteered to blog on our day with John and Marsha Ratcliff, and Walter with the Carmen company, I realized this assignment came with a great responsibility. These are probably the most amazing people in the world with regards to service for humanitarian improvement. John and Marsha are not hurting for friends, resources or things to do. What they are hurting on is time. I am humbled and ever so grateful that the Ratcliffs and Walter spent their entire Saturday afternoon with our group. For me, it has been the most inspirational afternoon I have had on this journey. John, Marsha and Walter are a prime example of what teamwork is and how it can be successful. All of them are quite humble but well aware of the impact they have been able to provide to various charities, primarily supporting The Variety Club. This trio has raised millions of dollars through innovative thinking. Their innovative thinking is another way of saying these folks are creative, persistant and resourceful. I would like a dollar (or pound) for each time one of them has said…”What if we…”. I would probably be quite wealthy in an economical sense.
But what is wealth? Is it how much money you have in your pocket, account or shares of stocks you have obtained. I think John and Marsha understand that wealth comes from the love that you have in your heart and from the relationships established along the way. While they may have a successful business, and I anticipate Walter is well compensated for his tireless efforts to run the Carmen delivery company, they are giving and humble individuals that have a wealth of compassion, love and passion for helping those that they come in contact with.
I had a brief discussion with Marsha. I have concern as I am a new graduate getting ready to enter the field of nursing. There is a great desire in my heart to help the underserved in my community and through mission trips to third world countries. I find I am torn at balancing family, work/school, community and friends. I imagine Marsha is far more challenged with this than I as she states they don’t say no, they just try to figure out how. Marsha’s answer to my question of balance is focus on today. What is the priority, and what needs my attention now? If you worry about the next two weeks, you will go mad. Her analogy is “How do you eat an elephant?” Her answer is “One bite at a time.”
Thank you so much John, Marsha and Walter for taking the time to inspire us. I hope I have given you the justice you deserve in this blog, as you inspired each one of us during our afternoon visit. I will never forget that afternoon, nor will any of my fellow classmates!
God Bless!

2010/05/21 at 1:04 PM

Tags: 2010 //