As a new Foundation and a 501c3 Non-Profit it is often difficult to see the forest for the trees, and there is not a lot of time to contemplate either. There is so much involved in starting up and then the building of relationships in order to help you grow and succeed. One thing I feel that is the utmost of importance is that you always keep in mind what your Mission is that is the one thing that you should never make the mistake of losing sight off. Once you lose sight of your Mission it means you pretty much have lost the understanding of why you started a non-profit in the first place and the reason you are doing this.

I received an e-mail from someone that quite frankly I found to be not so much offensive as it was a little self promoting or in another way of putting it trying to one up me and its not the first time this has been done. I sometimes get upset at the clear and utter lack of unity in the Epilepsy community the hesitancy to work with other organizations for fear of losing your supporters or followers, the mindset is somewhat sad that you feel compelled to not collaborate with others because your afraid they will come along and steel your thunder or may have ulterior motives. The Epilepsy community should be the one place and one area that we all as parents, caregivers, advocates, educators, medical professionals should all come together and work hand in hand at all events in all communities where we reside for the greater good after all we are supposed to all be wanting the same thing and that is a cure. Working as a team and uniting is the only way that will ever be accomplished.

Starting a non-profit is not easy, its challenging, time consuming, stressful to say the least but it also is one of the most rewarding both personally and spiritually for me it has been my biggest blessing. It’s a journey I would not trade for anything. I have met some of the most incredible families, and the children have become like my own children nothing I would not do for any of them. I have also met some wonderful people on this journey that run other organizations as well whom have been supportive and willing to help if needed the way it should be. It does not matter if your an organization that has been in business 10 years or 6 months because what matters is that you make a difference all in the name of your cause. For those that are established instead of feeling superior over others perhaps take some of the newer up and coming organizations under your wing and show them how it is done, teach them, mentor them. Work with them, collaborate so that they can see what it is that worked for you and teach them how to incorporate what you learned into something they can learn from too.

It is through the teachings of others that we learn and grow. Imagine all that is being wasted because we don’t reach out and we don’t show or share a united front. As the founder of the Epilepsy Warriors Foundation I want to reach out and work with other organizations and collaborate so that we can not only benefit from learning but so that we can help them achieve some of their goals too. I look to the older more established ones as the ones that I can learn from and find out the right things to do so that we can succeed. Every organization that is out their has value, has a role, has a passion but sadly what I see more of is the competitiveness, and the attitude that they are better than everyone else because they are more established not true we are all of equal value and we all are making a difference. No matter how great or small it still goes along way in helping us with what our main mission is that is finding a cure.

I don’t care how many T-shirts you have sold, I don’t care how much money you have donated to other organizations over the years that is great and very much needed but personally what I care about is the children and the families they are my main focus and the reason I started in the first place. This is my passion, my calling, it’s what God put into my heart to do and I do it gladly and willingly without asking or looking for anything in return. To me if your doing it for any other reason then what you started out to do then your not in this for the right reasons and perhaps you need to go back to the beginning and see why you started in the first place because you have lost not only your mission but also what your vision was.