The pathway at Coole Park, Ireland. Many of Ireland’s finest storytellers, including William Butler Yeats and James Joyce, walked up those steps.
I like a good story. As a teacher and a writer, I like stories that unfold with rich detail and clever language. I’m intrigued by interesting characters and lives different than mine. I’m drawn to that moment when the characters undergo transformation. Something happens, and I know that they (and I) will never be the same.
In addition, I like a good story: a story about people working together to meet challenges and solve problems. I’m talking stories about students who, in the course of their schoolwork, do important things to change the world and happen to learn a lot in the process. Or conservation groups who work tirelessly to protect important and special land. I like hearing news about groups of people working across racial, gender, and all sorts of lines to solve problems that affect us all.
However, what I really love are great stories: stories that are both compellingly told and show the world becoming a slightly better place. There are some truly lovely stories out there. In my work with nonprofits, I’ve had the good fortune to witness many of these stories first hand; others have been shared with me. I want to tell as many of them as I can.
The overwhelming majority of “great stories” (stories that are both compelling and positive) happen in isolated instances in innumerable ways every day across our planet. They happen with few or no witnesses and get lost because there is nobody to tell them.
However, I can focus a certain type of great story: stories that clearly demonstrate the impact of a particular organization. The reason for this is two-fold. First, because of my work for nonprofits, these are many of the stories I know. Secondly, and more importantly, although I know that goodness happens in infinitely myriad ways every single day, nonprofit and mission-driven organizations are working very hard to channel the goodness that happens towards the people who need it most. This is a way I can help.
I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what stories you like in the comments section. And definitely reach out to tell me your story. I love a great story.
First Up: Caine’s Arcade