Making a Difference “A small boy was running up and down the beach, feverishly hurling starfish back into the water before they died. An old man approached him. “Do you honestly think that your work will make any difference?” he asked skeptically. The boy looked at him with sparkling eyes, held up a starfish and said, “It makes a difference to this one!” and threw the starfish back into the sea.” Loren Eiseley, author
We receive numerous accolades for our campus, our grounds, our facilities, our equipment, our technology, and the list goes on and on. And they’re all cool things. We also have very talented people, people with great skills and capacity.
The most valuable thing we possess, however, is our culture:
What do we believe?
What do we strive to do?
What are we trying to accomplish?
There are a thousand different ways to express our culture, but we have chosen this starfish story because it relates so closely to what we’re doing. Every time we help someone succeed, sometimes against what seem like impossible odds, we’re giving that person a new lease on life.
We’re going to do whatever it takes to overcome any kind of challenge to deliver to you, our students, the kind of results that you need to change your life. It’s not just about going through the motions; it’s about doing whatever is required to ensure that you can be successful.
We believe we have a moral obligation to take care of the people who live here. Just as the little boy knew he couldn’t save every starfish washed up on the shore, we know we can’t save everyone. But every time we help someone toward a brighter future, we have won a major victory for that family, our community, our nation, and our world.
We are Starfish Throwers!