One of the greatest pleasures I get in consulting with nonprofits is the variety of people I meet and the range and quality of experiences I am exposed to. I know I’m making an impact in helping each client build more effective organizations, but at the same time I’m growing as a person. Each of my current clients has brought a new dimension to my life that I’d like to share.
Tony Lore, the founder and director of Youth Mentoring Connection, who I have been mentoring for several years, has created one of the most effective youth services in the country. His depth of understanding of these kids, often from violent and hopeless situations, enables his program to reach into their hearts, and spring them away from their path of crime towards a life of hope and achievement. When I listen to him teach others how to ‘find the gifts’ in their behavior, I realize we all have the capacity to make even our adversaries into friends. It all starts with a simple, “I see you’. For the first time, someone really is listening to them. This is the first step.
In a similar manner, my newest client, The Ojai Foundation, has adopted the ancient Council to help kids, prisoners and others, to stop talking and begin listening ‘with your heart’. Whether it’s at their beautiful Ojai site or in LAUSD schools or the Lancaster Prison, people are transformed by being able to talk without being interrupted, to be valued for what they say, and to know that people are really listening. It has certainly helped me ‘keep my mouth shut’ so I can really hear what others are saying instead of ‘stepping on their last words.’
Another multi-year client is UMMA, the Muslim Health Clinic in South LA. As a Jew working in a Muslim organization, I see the real compassion and humanity that our Muslim brothers and sisters bring from their faith, and I identify it with my own traditions. I have learned of the strong ties the communality and bond between the two faiths, and try to help my Muslim-phobic friends realize that these people are not like those we see in the news. And I must admit, I have never been treated so warmly by any group of people.
When I began working with the Vanguard Cancer Foundation I knew very little about Cancer treatment. Now having been exposed to the work of Dr. Robert Nagourney, who has developed a personalized assay-based treatment plan for each patient, I urge anyone who has developed serious cancer to seek out his advice at Rational Therapeutics. The depth of gratefulness of his former patients and their families has enabled Vanguard Cancer Foundation to raise thousands of dollars to support his research, and we hope to do even better.
Then there is my 6-7 year journey with SOSMentor, an organization attacking childhood obesity. I began as a consultant, became the president, and am a life-long partner with this wonderful organization. Here I have met Carole and Bob Donahue, the founders, both retirees of LAUSD. Since their retirement they have devoted their time and fiscal resources to build an amazing organization which finds itself in the limelight as this terrible condition is getting such national attention. I have seen first-hand what amazing impact can be made with very little resources. Thousands of children and their families have become aware of the need for healthy eating and exercise – all done on a shoestring budget. Who says all you need is money – all you really need is dedication and creativity.
Each of these clients, and many others I have worked with, has added an important dimension to my life. I am a more open, compassionate, and engaged person. Thanks to you all. Hopefully I will be able to use these skills and insight as I work with more and more nonprofits.
Tags: Bob Donahue, Carole Donahue, childhood obesity, Dr. Robert Nagourney, LAUSD, Muslim Health Clinic, Rational Therapeutics, SOSMentor, The Ojai Foundation, Tony Lore, UMMA, Vanguard Cancer Foundation, Youth Mentoring Connection