I’ve been fortunate to speak at a lot of schools over the past few years. There just something special about connecting with kids and delivering a message of inspiration that, with hard work, determination, and perseverance, there’s truly no limit to what they can achieve.
Each visit starts roughly the same way: a bunch of kids staring at me wonder who the heck is this guy?! Then, I start by showing a video of working with Russell Wilson, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and others, and the mood completely changes! Suddenly, I’m cool! And now the kids are really interested in what I have to say! Thanks RW and M+RL!
After each talk, there are typically quite a few kids that want to meet, ask more questions, get pictures, etc. It’s so amazing to see how excited they are to tell me about their own artwork!
I recently spoke with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at Northeast Tacoma Elementary. The library was filled with kids over three separate sessions and, as always, the kids were amazing!
Afterwards, I met with many of the kids and, as they all returned to their classes, I noticed there was one kid who stayed behind.
He told me his name is Errick, and that he has Cerebral Palsy (just like my sister, who I mention during the presentation). I don’t want to specifically share what we talked about, but I later learned that when he got home from school that day he was so excited to tell his mom about our encounter.
Funny thing is… I did the same thing when I got home: I couldn’t wait to tell my wife about this amazing kid I met.
It’s moments likes this – and kids like Errick – that let me know I’m making a positive difference in someone’s life.
And, even better, they’re making a positive difference in mine.
