“Sometimes not having any idea where we’re going works out better than we could possibly have imagined.” – Ann Patchett
I was sitting at my desk at Jacob's Heart when the phone rang. It was a woman who said she was from the Rainbow Girls. I had no idea who or what a Rainbow Girl was so I asked.
“They are a group of girls 13-17 years old and they do community service together. Every year they choose a cause to support and this year they have chosen Jacob's Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services.” Apparently one of the girl’s parents had read an article I had written for the San Jose Mercury News. The woman on the phone asked if the team leader, a 17-year-old named Rhiannon, could come by my office and get some information and talk about their plans.
As a former high school teacher, any time a teenager wants to do something good, I’m all over it!
Rhiannon showed up dressed in a business suit with files, clip board and pen in hand. I was in jeans and a t-shirt. We had a great talk about Jacob's Heart, what it is like for families of children with cancer, and what kinds of support we needed to provide services to children and families. I gave her some brochures, talking points, wished her well and sent her on her way.
I didn’t hear back for a while and from time to time I’d think about her and the Rainbow Girls but figured, oh well, another teen with big ideas not able to pull them off. I was wrong.
A few more months passed and finally, to my surprise and delight, the same woman, the leader, was on the phone ready to update us on the girls’ progress. The girls were working hard, doing bake sales, car washes, selling popcorn…they were on it. Wow! The woman asked if I’d be able to come to the girls' next big meeting to meet the rest of the girls and be presented with their donation. I agreed.
I drove over the hill, exhausted after a long day of working with families in crisis, once again missing dinner with my family to get a bake sale donation. I was spent. As exhausted as I was, I pulled myself together – for them, deeply moved by their compassion and hoping that my showing up might encourage them. I was representing a group of families in crisis for whom the generosity of these teens would make a tangible difference. These were amazing young women taking time out of their own lives for the benefit of others - they represented hope for the future; teenagers doing good in the world. I was proud of them.
I arrived at the event, dressed in my black suit (kind of a uniform of sorts for every event requiring more than jeans). Every other woman, mostly mothers of the girls were wearing flowery, flowing dresses. I immediately felt out of place, but oh well, they’d certainly know which lady was from "the outside." The girls were dressed up, excited, full of smiles of pride.
The ceremonies started. I was exhausted and pasted on a smile. Some of the girls made speeches and about what they’d done, how they got organized, the competitions to see whose car wash could raise more, a little cheer-leading, some songs, lots of fun!
Then, the girls presented me with a check to Jacob’s Heart for $100,000! Yes, you read that right…$100,000.
I was absolutely stunned. The lump in my throat exploded into tears. How did they do it? Answer: they were organized and they were motivated. Rhiannon was a community organizer with specific skills at rallying teams of caring people around a common goal. She inspired the others girls to care about the cause, to know that their efforts were touching people. She ignited in them the thrill of making a difference.
Over these past several years I have reflected on what an honor it was to be in the presence of those incredible young women. I often think about what their accomplishment meant to them - an accomplishment grounded in the ideal of helping children with cancer and their families - loving support and care to children with cancer whom they would never meet.
I imagine there was a spot in each of their hearts that cared enough to work hard, organize their efforts, encourage one another and give the world their very best. I imagine some of them were transformed through the experience. It takes leaders like Rhiannon supported by caring adults who create an environment where she could lead the team. They had created an environment of healthy, supportive competition where each teen could offer their individual skills, talents and abilities. The success of the project required that participants have confidence in their individual abilities and that by bringing those abilities to the collective efforts, they would multiply the good.
That's why we started the Boomerang Foundation: to ignite the power of young people to create a more compassionate world and to achieve greater personal success through meaningful community service and strong leadership.
Just like the Rainbow Girls...ignited, successful and proud of their achievement.
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