Volunteer

Oiler Tradition

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findlayI’m not sure if anyone in their right mind would choose Findlay, Ohio as a vacation destination this time of year; or any time of year for that matter. But here I am. Day two of six in Findlay enjoying my time on my Alma Matter campus speaking to college students, coaches, staff and administrators about their futures, career paths, the future of the University’s sports programs, the benefit of internships, sports marketing and management, offensive and defensive line play, digital marketing and communications, NFL scouts, new buildings and sports facilities, campus writing publications and of course, the weather.

 It’s been almost twelve years since I graduated from the University of Findlay and I’m still proud of the fact that I graduated from here. When I was an eighteen year old kid I didn’t know what I didn’t know; and at 34, I still don’t. But I do know there are certain events in one’s life that whether one realizes it or not at the time, happen for a reason. I think coming to the University of Findlay after high school while at the time, I wasn’t sure was right for me, turned out to be a great decision. I’m still great friends with my teammates from the days of the collegiate gridiron. It was here and with them that I learned to be perseverant and to work my ass off for the greater good. That greater good was Findlay Football and a better opportunity and life than otherwise would have been possible for a kid from Glandorf, Ohio.  While it all started as a kid in back yard football games and with my coaches from the Ottawa-Glandorf communities, Findlay was the next step.

It was here that I met and quickly loved a football coach that knew how to motivate and inspire in a way that words cannot give justice. Coach Dick Strahm is one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met and possibly to ever walk the Earth. If you haven’t had the chance to play for Coach or know his story, it may be hard to believe that the greatest of the great resides in Findlay, Ohio, but that is the case. He leads by example and has taught so many of us over the years how to do the same. The tradition he began and instilled in me, is much in part why I am on campus this week sharing what I am able to share. Whether it be my time, my experiences or my humble expertise in areas of my profession, I am here to continue an Oiler tradition that many before me have been passionate about and contributed to.

Time for a Cure

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It feels good to know that your time at work and your efforts are going to a good cause and that you are appreciated right? – Ever get overwhelmed with responsibility at work, deadlines, todo lists??? As a working society we are naturally competitive and eager to win the rat race. We get so tied up in our our busy schedules that sometimes we lose sight of helping others; Not because we are disengaged from people or because we do not care for others, but because we forget that we can achieve our greatest personal goals by spending a few hours of our weekend impacting others in ways far greater than we could ever spend our time or our dollars on ourselves.

By volunteering our time for the greater good of our community we are not only making a priority statement, we are making a positive difference in the lives of others who at no fault of thier own, need a little help. We’ve all found ourselves in trying times and in need of a little help, and thankfully we have supportive friends and family members to lend us that hand. Without a doubt one of the defining elements that make a friend a friend and a brother a brother is knowing that person will answer when you call. Having someone there to lean on in times of struggle is priceless. There’s no value for true friendship that we can place on our friend who is always there to listen to us, to pick us up when we are down, or when we are in a bad situation. Friendship is love, unconditionally and all the time.

When we volunteer for charities like the Race for the Cure, we are not just helping our friends who have experienced pain and unfortunate circumstances due to Breast Cancer, but we are helping strangers as well. Complete strangers who have courageously lost thier battles and live on in spirit and memories, through their friends and their families. By volunteering and taking part in events like the Komen Race, we help those who continue to battle everyday by showing support and encouragement for their cause and we give them something so precious that it brings many of the racers to tears… we give our time.

Time is so precious to those who do not know how much they have left, and too often I feel myself taking time for granted or wishing that it were Friday. In the end, we have so little time here to do all the things we aspire, dream, and plan to do for ourselves. Our long term goals and aspirations seem so large in the sense that one day I will be… or Someday I will have… or Someday I hope to… I will be the first to speak to the importance of setting goals and working feverishly to accomplish them, but every once in a while, its important to ask ourselves if there are others who could use a little of our time as well.