Over
the past three years I’ve worked for a local non-profit charged with the task
of helping at-risk youth turn from a life of drugs and crime toward a life
filled with love, self-respect, and family.
The company is called Anasazi Foundation and I am a trail walker.
We
walk the back country of the Tonto National Forest with these young men and
women, away from the distractions of our modern world, and invite them to
listen to their hearts, to look within themselves, and to find the truth
therein. Since starting this job I’ve
seen remarkable changes in the lives of some and heartbreaking failure in
others. Some have left our program with
fresh eyes and lifted spirits determined to live their dreams while others,
unable or unwilling to change, have taken their lives. All have taught me invaluable life lessons.
Prior
to walking the trail had you asked me what my career goals were I would’ve said
something like, “enormous salary, fancy office, expense account, 401k, health,
dental, etc.” That all changed after
the first time I saw one of the kids reunited with his parents during the final
week of his stay. The love that passed
between parent and child in that moment was indescribable. From that day till now my sole ambition lay
with making sure the Anasazi Foundation kept its doors open so that more
families could experience the healing that can happen when hurts are forgotten
and hearts are opened.
While
love and healing are excellent ideals to strive toward, they mean nothing
without a solid business to bring them to life.
And every business, for profit or not, must protect the bottom
line. But in a non-profit protecting the
bottom-line can mean the difference between the doors being open and the doors
being closed, forever. This is the
situation my organization found itself in this last fiscal year.
We
have always operated from admit to admit, one parent paying for their child
keeps the lights on, two the rent, three payroll, and the fourth, if deemed
financially needy, is given a scholarship.
For 25 years we ran the company this way and all went well; but this way
of being left us completely unprepared for what was to come.
After
the slowest summer (summer is our busiest season) we’ve had on record, Anasazi
nearly had to close its doors. Our
accounts were in arrears, our employees weren’t getting paid, and the dream
that began 25 years ago was sounding the death knell.
In
walked Sean, the new company director, and not a moment too soon. He completely restructured the company:
piling over the financial reports looking for evidence of wasted capital, once
found, he trimmed the fat, so to speak, so that every dollar stretched farther
than before. In addition to adjusting
the finances he also combined complimentary jobs and deleted unnecessary ones
cutting the payroll by half and streamlining the flow of human resources within
the organization. Lastly, he began to
institute a culture of personal responsibility within the organization;
changing the company mentality from, “that’s not my job,” to, “what can I do to
help?” All that was left to do was to
wait.
The
first few months were rough; everyone held their breath thinking that each day
would be our last. But in time our admission
rate began to grow and the steady stream of income coupled with the
afore-mentioned changes helped us to get out in front of the bills.
Furthermore,
instead of running around putting out fires, we were now proactively making
business decisions that looked beyond our traditional hand-to-mouth approach. For once we started looking at the future of
our organization: five, ten, even fifteen years out. Our organization owes a debt of gratitude to
Sean for coming in when he did, making the changes he saw fit, and leading us
out of the tempest into calmer seas. His
example saved my company and it gave me inspiration for the future.
I
never knew what I was going to do with a business degree once I got it. As I said earlier, a fancy job with nice
perks was about as far as I’d gotten.
Then Anasazi taught me that what matters most is not what you do or how
much you make; what matters most is how you choose to walk, in business and in
life. And so my choice has become
clear. I want to use my education to keep
Anasazi alive for my children, if they need it, and for every other family in
need. Most of all, I want to be just
like Sean, a man that knew how to make the tough decision at the right time in
order to keep a 25 year old dream alive.
Why
should I be selected for the BMO Capital Markets Lime Connect Equity through Education
Scholarship? That’s a good question and
I’m at pains to explain why I think I’m better or more deserving than the next
person. The truth is I don’t think I’m
better or more deserving, but the children are.
Your decision to give me this scholarship will definitely ease my
financial burdens (and for that I am grateful) but more importantly it will
help the children that I’ve made it my life mission to serve. My education and your scholarship are merely
catalysts to facilitate the healing of children and families the world
over. Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Daniel St.Germain
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