Health Equity Leader, Program Innovator, Poet, Social Service Champion, Urban Youth Advocate
Thursday Thoughts: I am a couple of generations removed from the Greatest Generation who defeated Hitler and saved us all from his tyranny. But there a few ideals, common by necessity, during that era that I aim to personally and professionally hold myself accountable to. I can thank my father Reverend Frank Gray Sr (My first Pastor, Vietnam war veteran, honorably discharged from the USAF) for passing these along to me at a young age. Today, I’d like to focus on one: • Service Is Its Own Reward A culture can win or lose its humanity with the emphasis or de-empahsis of a prime cultural principle. Service Is Its Own Reward is one of those, in my humble estimation. In today’s world, dominated by a philosophy of fringe benefits and quid pro quo, this means we need to remphasize the value of self-sacrifice. We need to elevate the underfunded yet essential programs, the underpaid yet critical staff, the “routine” poverty-centric intervention strategies that are ever present in all of our planning cycles. Let’s remind ourselves why we choose to serve, and for whom our service is needed. Let’s develop opportunities to make the work more fulfilling so that service indeed, once again, becomes its own reward. Let’s celebrate our unsung and unseen heroes and heroines who live by this prime principle each day. Without them, non of our organizations would be in business. #charity #philanthropy #service #community