What Does Crowd Surfing at a U2 Concert Have to Do With Great Life Mentoring?
In 1987, my girlfriends and I had returned from living abroad, and we were missing our foreign adventure. We declared a much-needed “road trip” and headed from our new apartment in Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, where we would see U2 in concert. It wasn’t our first (or our last) road trip to see the post-punk Irish band together, but this one was particularly memorable for me.
They called it “A Day on the Green.” We hung out in the open-air arena with a crowd of others, excited and waiting for the music to start. Nothing intimidated me in the ’80s, so we were front and center.
As soon as there was activity on the stage, the crowd rushed from behind, creating an enormous push that separated me and my friends. I could see the panic on my friends' faces as we screamed. The struggle was unbeatable, and at five feet tall and under a hundred pounds, I was going down.
The security guards on the other side of the barricade tried to pull me over, but I was being trampled, and they couldn’t reach me. With fright on their faces, they motioned to the crowd, yelling “Lift her up! Lift her up!” I went from being in extreme danger to being practically weightless. The strangers all around me lifted, and I was floating above the crowd. These strangers carried me all the way to safety.
I have thought back on this story throughout my life when loved ones have reached out to help me in difficult times, and I get the same feeling when I think back on the last year with Great Life Mentoring (GLM). We couldn't have made the transition to a standalone non-profit without our staff, board, mentors, donors and advisors helping to carry us along the way. You are witnesses to the power of GLM and know there are many children who won’t make it without our help. You joined together, giving your hard-earned money, your precious time, unique talents, and together we did it! Despite being new to fundraising, we gained over 100 donors who gave over $100,000! GLM can now reach more children.
We routinely recount why we give our hearts and souls to this noble endeavor: It’s all for the children. We want them to know they matter, and we’re here for them. This creation is something so beautiful and special, something so deeply profound that it’s already changing the world. Over time, we’ll share our successful mentoring model with the mentoring community so our evidence-based practice can be replicated to help as many children as possible.
There is a line in the song "Anthem" by Leonard Cohen that says "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in." Tara Brach, a well-known American psychologist, paraphrased it by saying “The light shines through the broken places,” and that is what I think GLM does for children who receive our services. Thank you for turning your attention to GLM, however often you do, and telling others about us, too. Together we can lift those who need it to safety. Who knows what the children we help might do one day, now that they have known the kindness of strangers.
Here we are at the present moment to do our part. We have, and will continue to, overcome together. We’ll do our best to right the wrong. As Margaret Mead once eloquently said, ”Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has.”
With gratitude, love, and light,
Elizabeth
