Friday, June 22, 2012

Being Put to Good Use

In the past week I have presided over LBCC's largest ever graduation, officiated at a dear friend's wedding, guided 22 high school students through the whitewaters of the Deschutes (and hopefully, by inference through some of the whitewaters of their lives as well), and lovingly (and publicly!) roasted a friend who has just retired from being a high school principal. 

What I discover in all this is that I am most happy when my life is being put to good use for others....

Monday, June 4, 2012

In My Spare Time


If there’s anything I’ve learned while here at LBCC, prominent among my lessons is that we as a community share in a passion for people.  Not just our students, but the community beyond our classrooms as well.  Through organizations like our local food banks, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers and Sisters, YMCA, religious organizations, Relay for Life, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Helping Hands, Jackson Street Youth Shelter, and so many, many more, we "in our spare time" are working to make a better life not just for ourselves, but for those around us as well.  This is part of what makes LBCC so great!
Many of you know that one of the ways in which I try and contribute to this work is through my guiding (both in the technical and in the relational sense) high school students through the shared experience of whitewater rafting.  While the ride is most certainly a thrill for these students (and for me too!!!), the real thrill for them comes in the form of some pretty significant self-discovery and the visceral experience of some powerful teamwork. 
After 90+ kids in three back-to-back groups, I’m both tired and elated.  Watch and see…..

Greg