At the end of a weekend program I ran many years ago in Adelaide I was told that a local charity that took young people at risk of prison on a 10 day ‘self-empowerment trek’ across the Flinders Ranges (it was called ‘Operation Flinders’) had run out of money.
All staff had been told to go home.
They needed $30,000 if they were to stay afloat until they received their next round of government support.
It was a huge amount of money more than 30 years ago: the equivalent of $80,000 in today’s economy.
I thought about it for a moment and then told them I’d raise the funds.
I cancelled my Monday morning flight home to Brisbane.
I spoke to a business friend, David Graham, and he immediately organised a series of breakfast and evening talks for me with Adelaide business clubs, leaders and companies for that week.
I spoke about leadership, innovation and corporate responsibility.
And we sold tickets to a ‘brekkie auction’ we held on the Friday morning in Adelaide’s premier hotel ballroom.
All the auctioned products were new items freely donated by the businesses that had heard me speak.
Around 250 people turned up for Friday’s breakfast and auction.
And by that week’s end – in just 4 days – we raised $29,880 which kept
Operation Flinders afloat.
Exhausted, I flew home on the Friday afternoon.
Why do I tell you this?
Because all of us forget the power we each have to help change the world.
Over the last few months I have felt somewhat disempowered myself now we don’t have a retreat facility……..
But then, this morning we found a luxury resort halfway between Sydney and Brisbane that would be an idyllic facility for Trudi and my new range of ‘Empowerment And Creative Healing’ Workshops.
So watch this space for BIG news!!!!
And what about you?
What holds you back?
Remember……society heals one person at a time.
Society changes (for good or bad) one person at a time.
Society develops via one person at a time.
Each of us can be that one person.
And when all of us are that one person at a time – wow!
What a wonderful world awaits us!!!!
But only because we created it…….
And we did so – one person at a time………
Peace be within you.
Les
Ps: David Graham passed on just a short while ago.
I imagine his Spirit watches over the Flinders ranges and follows the footsteps of those many young people who found their self-worth in that wilderness, courtesy of David’s loving encouragement……..