This weekend I had the privilege to sit down and talk with a few of the amazing women that are part of Pilot International here in Alabama. These women are diligently working to inspire the world to be a place where all are valued. That is a huge task to tackle, but that doesn’t discourage these women, instead it drives them to continue on their journey.
This summer was the first time I was introduced to the Alabama District Pilots. When I met them on Camp ASCCA’s Pilot Day I noticed the message on the back of their Pilot shirts and it came from one of my favorite stories, The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley.
The story is about a man who was walking on the beach when he saw a young boy walking down the beach, stopping to picking up a star fish and throwing it back in the water. The man asked the little boy why he was throwing the starfish in the ocean. The boy responded, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.” “But young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!” The young man listened politely. Then bent down picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. “I made a difference for that one!”
That night the man went to bed troubled. When the morning came he awoke knowing that he had to do something. So he got up, put on his clothes, went to the beach and found the young man. And with him he spent the rest of the morning throwing starfish into the ocean.
I tell you this story to paint the beautiful image that I have of these wonderful ladies. They have a vision of changing the world but their focus is on the person in need that is right in front of them.
Kay Chandler, Chair of the Traumatic Brain Injury Camp Task force for the District of Alabama had a vision that was inspired by a camp in Texas, but she didn’t just dream about it… She worked for it! In 2012, at the Alabama District Convention, a goal was set to have a Brain Injury Camp at Camp ASCCA. She was given 2 years to raise the money and the Pilots raised the money in 1 year. Pilot clubs and members hold various fundraisers through out the year to raise money for Camp ASCCA and AHIF weekend.
This past weekend was the 3rd year the Pilots have sponsored AHIF’s (Alabama Head Injury Foundation) weekend celebration at Camp ASCCA and they hope to one day be able to sponsor a whole week of camp for AHIF.
Pilot members are like the little boy in the story; through their actions they are inspiring and building community leaders of tomorrow to make a difference in the lives of others.
One example, is through Anchor Club International, a program for young people aspiring to leaders in their community and dedicated to helping those in need. Pilot members such as, Molly Simmons Riley and Suzanne Kendra are leaders for local Anchor clubs that volunteered during AHIF weekend. Molly and Suzanne talked about how much they love getting to watch their Anchors grow and turn into compassionate leaders that are focused on making a difference. One of the many ways I saw the Anchors lead with compassionate hearts was through “Pick Me Ups.” Pick Me Up is a program dedicated to recognizes the selfless services provided by caregivers. Pick Me Ups are “a little gift from the heart” to uplift and show caregivers how much they are appreciated. I am very impressed with the Anchors that volunteered this weekend and the heart that they put into making this weekend memorable!
I hope when you look around Camp ASCCA you see the many smiling faces of campers and hear their contagious laughter… that you are reminded of the little boys words from the story, “I made a difference for that one!”
To see pictures from this weekends many adventures check out Flickr and for more information about Camp ASSCA, visit Camp’s website.
Sara Shea, PR
Camp ASCCA 2016
Located in Alabama on Lake Martin, Camp ASCCA offers campers a wide variety of traditional recreational and educational activities with a unique design for accessibility.
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