Giving Back: Courage of charitable business leaders delivers age-old wisdom for all generations
The first runners to complete a race deserve a medal for the example they have set. But the last ones to pass through the finish line have still chosen to persevere, and there is a lot to be said for that. Most of us have a soft spot for people who stick it out.
On the last Saturday in July, the auditorium at Southeast High School was packed with families, friends and peers celebrating Manatee County high school students who made a final push to graduate this summer.
Without knowing any of the graduates personally, I felt proud to see them championed by the cheerleaders in their lives. Crinkled cellophane on wrapped bouquets of flowers, cell phone batteries dying from too many photos, and elated screams combined in a heightened excitement — a reminder of how important supporters are in the lives of people.
Being there was also a reminder of courage. Each of these graduates had the courage to finish. As the commencement speaker, I wanted to share what I have learned about courage from the businessmen and women who give generously in our community through Manatee Community Foundation.
Some people who are charitable givers started their lives with poverty and struggle. They realize that hard work is not always enough to be successful. The old “pulling yourself up by the bootstraps” metaphor only works if you have bootstraps, and sometimes they break off in the process of trying to pull. Generous people often know the importance of having someone in your life to give you a chance is essential.
Charitable donors from the business world have the skills to make good decisions, but just as important, they have the courage to make impressive decisions. Taking risks and making different choices than colleagues and peers is hard and uncertain.
They have the courage to be kind and generous to others even in a world that is hardly kind and generous all the time. And knowing they are shy of perfection, they are often forgiving while also having the courage to say no to people who only seek to take advantage.
The courage to fight injustice through charitable giving is often an expression of deep values. We see this in thousands of ways as citizens say that it’s not OK for sex trafficking to exist in our community, for children to miss meals during the summer, for veterans to be homeless, or for healthy animals to be euthanized because there just isn’t room for them.
“Standing up” can be tricky. Political repercussions in work and friendships can apply when you are too vocal in ideals. Many givers have the courage to lead through the example of their own lives rather than focusing on words that judge and offend.
The givers we work with are humble in talking about their past mistakes with others. Destroying the fallacy that some of us are beyond fault helps to give others courage. It’s one of the greatest gifts to see successful business people share their blunders, not only so that others can learn from them but so that we can embrace the humanness we share.
Many charitable individuals give counsel to others because they know what it is like to need good advice and how hard it can be to have the courage to ask for it.
The courageousness of continuing education cannot be understated. We repeatedly see that the most successful and giving people have a continuous quest for knowledge and learning. They do not have a limited view of who they can learn from. The courage to keep learning keeps them young, nimble, flexible, accepting.
By 2025 in Florida, 60 percent of jobs will require post-secondary attainment — college or an industry recognized licensure or certificate. Less than half of adults in Manatee County ages 25-64 meets this criteria today. We have a long way to go to ensure that both individuals and our community are successful now and in the future. They are undeniably intertwined.
You do not need millions of dollars to be charitable or to have courage. If you can give, be courageous in your giving. If you can’t give, be a cheerleader. Be the person who encourages a high school student to abandon any limiting views of what they can accomplish.
No matter what choices our summer high school graduates make, they should feel supported by the community around them. They should know we expect a great deal but we are here to help, and we, too, can learn from them.
If we embrace courage, there is no definitive finish line and none of us have the luxury of sitting around for too long.
Susie Bowie is the executive director of the Manatee Community Foundation, a charitable foundation that strengthens the community through philanthropy, education and service — for now and for the future. Email: SBowie@ManateeCF.org. Phone: 941-747-7765.