This is for all who didn’t get a chance to attend our annual fundraiser this year.
You missed some really good food, a chance to see the curls that linger under my hat, Matt Lukens hidden talent and… the speeches. I know speeches, but I always have so much that I want to share about what we do, how we do it and why what we do is important. The fundraiser always gives us that chance.
So here they are….( minus the improv, stuttering and crying)
“Welcome, welcome.
My job is to introduce you to our Executive Director, Diane Swanson.
But first, my name is Bill Pasnau. I am the President of the Board of the Pratt Nature Center, and I thank you all for being here to support our cause and celebrate another year of activities and camp at Pratt. While I appreciate your financial support (and we need your financial support), I am really thankful for your time, your energy, your care and concern about what we do here. So Thank you.
I found an article in the New York Times last week called Reading, Math and Grit by Joe Nocera. In the article, Nocera discusses the impact of non-cognitive skill development, something we know all about at the Pratt Center. I sent the article along to Diane. She sent this back in response:
“We noticed the difference between Pratt Kids and other kids last year, even our kids noticed it. It has been observed time and time again even by Mark our Land Manager…Pratt kids are more confident, no crying, no whining, little to no arguing, observant, they ask questions, non judgmental, fair,they figure things out, they get up when they fall down……I could go on and on. This summer when outside camps visited on a field trip, I had a college intern ( studying conservation) help me out. The differences were so notable that he has chosen to write his intern paper about it. This year I am concerned about our Pratt Kids going back to the school system. Nature has taught them so much. ”
The things that we do teach are resilience, integrity, resourcefulness, and, most importantly, persistence…..things that Nocera calls “character”Of these, I choose persistence. As Calvin Coolidge notes “Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
This is what we teach. This is where your money goes. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome our persistent Executive Director, Diane Swanson.”
To be continued….
