This week, we wanted to share a story from someone in our network - Ken Armstrong, President of the United Way of the Big Bend, in Tallahassee, Florida. About 2 months ago, out of the blue, we saw tons of people from Tallahassee requesting copies of Make Hope Real. And every one of them indicated that this guy - "Ken Armstrong" had suggested they order a copy. So we contacted Ken, eager to find out what sparked his interest, and how he thought Make Hope Real fit with his work. Here's what he had to say:
For
several months I had been carrying around a
copy of Make
Hope Real with my to-do and to-read
pile. On a recent family
trip I finally found the 45 uninterrupted
minutes to read the essay. And
if I have a say in the matter, Tallahassee may
never be the same.
One of the benefits of being the president of our local United Way is that I'm less hemmed in by the boundaries Rich Harwood describes. I invited a hundred or so people 35 years of age and under to a “mixer and meeting.” The only prerequisite was that they had to have read Make Hope Real in advance.
Forty of them joined me for a no-holds-barred conversation about whether or not they think our community reflects the characteristics Harwood describes, and whether or not that's OK with them. The answers were Yes to the first and No to the second.
They have asked me to work with 12 of them to plan a next meeting of a larger group to see where we go next. I definitely don't know the answer. But I do know that more than 60 people from Tallahassee have downloaded Make Hope Real in the last couple months and at least share THAT as common ground. It's a start!
Click here to download a free copy of Make Hope Real
Click here to send free copies to your friends