I recently met Sean at our New Year's Day Open House. As he shared little snippets of his interests in local issues and his passion to help the people in Tanzania, Sean quickly caught my attention as someone who has found a way to make a difference. I couldn't resist an opportunity to get to hear more.
When we met recently, I immediately had to ask about the painting in his living room. Sean's sister did the painting. It's large, impressive, and with a lot of blue, his favoriate color. His sister, a graduate of Art Center (the prestigous Art Center in Pasadena, CA) selected a variety of art images from Alphons Mucha to an aboriginal version of Venus, even Keith Harring and Patrick Nagel made the cut. But, what caught me was how this backdrop of so many cultures and artists was a fitting backdrop for Sean's story about his non-profit, his interest in local politics, and his stories about studying in Rome and traveling to Paris.
When I probe to find out what makes someone like him contribute so much effort towards goodness, he tells candidly about how some people just care and act. There isn't a magic formula, or a defining moment. It just happens. Some people just hear about certain types of situations and they are immediately drawn to being a part of the solution.
When he shows me a framed photo collage of a recent trip to Tanzania, his energy and excitement for his efforts almost have me buying a ticket to tag along.
One comment stood out. Sean said that he was fortunate enough to have a great father and some great teachers who encouraged him to dream big. I agree. We all need to be surrounded by people every day, who relentlessly, encourage, inspire, and promote us to dream in something big. And, I would add after meeting Sean, who dream big about tackling important social issues that matter, that really matter.
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