Defying Gravity

Tomorrow brings the biggest day of my professional career each year -- our annual signature fundraising event for Girls Inc.

It's an intimate gathering of about 800 people, raising nearly 1M, so it's a simple affair. Ahem.

All I can say if, should I ever get married, I won't be stressed at all about planning a wedding. Having worked on this event seven years running (with plenty of help and, in the past several years, in the capable hands of others on my team), plus hundreds of other events, I'm sure my little chapel wedding at the Shady Pines Nursing Home in 50 years should be a snap.

As much work and pressure as it is, I love this event. And the main reason is it reminds me how much we can make a difference in the lives of others.

The girls served by Girls Inc. are by and large "at-risk." 70% come from households earning less than 30K a year. Most are girls of color. Nearly half live with only one parent, most often their mother.

Most Girls Inc. programming takes place after school, so for many, it's their safe space to go after the school day ends. Girls Inc. offers research-based programs delivered by trained professionals -- programs designed to meet the unique needs of girls.

But beyond that, it's the people at Girls Inc. that really make a difference. At Girls Inc., girls find caring adults they can trust. Adults who believe that they can do anything. Because they can.

Our event is so special because Girls Inc. National Scholars, winners of our annual scholarships, stand in front of this room of nearly 800 people and aren't afraid to share their stories.

And their stories aren't easy ones. Gangs, physical and mental abuse, parental substance abuse, illness, extreme poverty and homelessness.

But the one thing they all have in common is that, at Girls Inc. they found a home away from home, and within those walls, they found people who encouraged and believed in them. And that made all the difference.

So they stand in front of this room now on the way to college and careers that they never dreamed possible.

I love this event because it reminds me that the possibilities in life are infinite -- and perhaps more importantly, it makes me think of how fortunate I was to have people in my life who believed in me and my abilities, who encouraged me, and who saw possibilities where I saw obstacles.

We all have people like that in our lives. For some, it's our parents, but more often, it goes beyond that, to grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, friends, neighbors, coaches.

In a world where the most negative news stories get top billing, where we build up public figures to tear them down again, to stop and think about how we can be forces for good in the lives of others is a powerful thing.

So tomorrow when we celebrate these girls and our event honorees, women who have achieved great success in their respective fields and now serve as role models for girls forging their own paths, I'll be thinking of those people who supported me along the way and sending them a silent thank you. As the song goes, "Because I knew you, I've been changed for good."

And I'll be reminding myself to repay what has been given to me by encouraging others to reach beyond what they think is possible, and by doing so, I'll be reminding myself too.

So even if the lights go off, the sound system fails, or our slideshow presentation gets Rickrolled (please God no), I'll try to remember what's really important and be thankful.

And then I'll be ready for a really long nap.