Thursday, April 21, 2011

LAMP Recognition

Today was an interesting day. I was invited to the FAME (Fund for the Advancement of Minorities through Education) luncheon at the Duquesne Club to receive the Andrew W. Mathieson Leadership Award. FAME is an amazing organization in Pittsburgh that does tremendous work in the community, and a friend of mine who serves on their board of directors nominated me for the award without me knowing it. The board members were intriqued by the work that I am a part of here in Homewood, so they decided to recognize the mentoring efforts.

I was very honored by the award, and the event today was first class. They did a great job with the whole luncheon. One thing that comes to mind, though, in receiving an award for my work with LAMP is that LAMP only works if mentors are willing to get involved. Thankfully, God has brought over 200 mentors to Homewood over the past five years. Hundreds of children have been impacted in many ways by volunteers who give their time and energy. Also, LAMP does not work without great partners from the school district and our LAMP partner organization, Family Guidance.

I have been so blessed to be a part of leading LAMP at North Way for the past five years. It has been an adventure... one of the great joys of my life! I would not trade these experiences in Homewood over the past five years for anything! I guess it is nice to receive personal recognition every once in a while, but much of the recognition with LAMP should go to all of the mentors and mentees in the program. And, much of the recognition for my work in Homewood should go to my wife, Julie, and our daughters, Kyra and Sierra. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us over the next five years. A big thanks goes out to the FAME organization for making this a special day.

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