President's Message: Spring 2005
60 Years: Diamond Opportunities
Dear Chapter Councilors:
I am pleased once again to have this opportunity to share a few thoughts with you. As you know, much of what we do in our ASL-related activities is designed to honor outstanding adult learners.
Today, I would like to applaud those behind-the-scenes individuals who help to make ASL the successful organization that it is. These are the people and organizations that are not very visible to any of us from our respective campuses. These individuals rarely have the opportunity to experience the satisfaction that we all find in formally recognizing our very best adult learners.
In particular, I am thinking of our home office staff of Kaye, Pam and Shirley; Christy Blew, our webmaster; the folks at Allegra Printing and Imaging who design and print our various pamphlets and forms (always on time, I might add); CCAR, a not-for-profit human services agency and its clients, with which we partner for the mailing of our bulk supplies packages; and The Winning Stitch, the small business primarily responsible for many of our specialized clothing and induction ceremony items.
Each of these individuals and organizations provides a quality service to the Society and its members. Together, they enable us to maintain high standards of results, efficiency and accountability. To each of these individuals and organizations, I offer my heartfelt thanks and appreciation. Without their help, we would not be able to build the social capital to which we have become accustomed through our investment in quality students. Again, thanks to all.
In closing, and in further recognition of our partners’ contributions and the small amount of compensation they receive, I would like to share with you a poem from Mother Teresa’s A Simple Path. I share it with you for the simple reason that I sincerely believe that our various partners work with us not for the money but because it feels right, and, like us, they get something out of it.
ANYWAY*
People
are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered,
Love them anyway
If
you do good, people will accuse you of selfish,
ulterior motives,
Do good anyway
If
you are successful,
You win false friends and true enemies,
Succeed anyway
The
good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,
Do good anyway
Honesty
and frankness make you vulnerable,
Be honest and frank anyway
What
you spent years building may be
destroyed overnight,
Build anyway
People
really need help
but may attack you if you help them,
Help people anyway
Give
the world the best you have
and you’ll get kicked in the teeth,
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
*******************************
*From a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, the children’s
home in Calcutta
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2005!!!
Sincerely,
Raymond W. Campbell, Ph.D.
President