From the outside looking in, many today believe that college Greek Life is all about parties and very little else.  Unfortunately, what they don’t see and sometimes refuse to realize, is that much good comes from these organizations.  While they do have fun, they also work to excel in the classroom, in leadership positions and through philanthropic activities.

The following story was forwarded to me about the Sigma Chi chapter where I am an advisor.  We have been holding Derby Days at Ole Miss for 50 years and while most of the great press goes to the money raised, another big part of our collective efforts are focused on an annual blood drive that reportedly is the single largest of its kind for Mississippi Blood Services.  This drive goes immediately to helping save lives.  Read the following and think about giving blood the next time you have the  opportunity.

The 2013 Boston Marathon ended in a different race: it ended in a race to save lives. Many of the participants finished their run not at the Finish Line but at the nearby blood center where they donated blood. That is inspiring; so is the fact that the Boston Blood Donation Center had to turn away donors because so many Bostonians were willing to roll up their sleeves and donate blood. However, they were not the ones whose blood saved lives that day.

Flash back to the annual Derby Days Blood Drive at the University of Mississippi. What do the Ole Miss Derby Days have in common with the Boston Marathon? This year it was the students who took the time to donate blood, making it available for patients during a crisis marathon runners and fans never expected. Abby Posey, Anna Liddy, William Hays, Ann Stringer and Laken Hamilton all donated during the Ole Miss Derby Days Blood Drive Promotion during the week of April 1. Because of a senseless act of violence, their blood was needed in Boston.

“Anything we do can impact people’s lives,” Abby Posey, a sophomore from Philadelphia, Miss, said. Posey had donated the year before at the annual Derby Days blood drive. She already knew that donating blood was a good thing to do; however, learning that her unit of blood went to help Boston put the experience in a new perspective. “You don’t realize what donating blood means until you learn about it first hand—that it does save lives.”

“I’m glad [to know] my blood went to good use,” Anna Liddy, a sophomore from Holly Springs, Miss., said. Liddy has been a blood donor since her junior year in high school, but this is the first time she’s seen the impact of donating. “I’m glad I was able to help [the people in Boston]. I encourage others to donate because you never know when something like this will happen and you need more [blood] than you expected.”

“What I did took 30 minutes and actually went to save somebody’s life,” William Hayes, a freshman from Memphis, Tenn., said. This was his first time to donate blood. To others who can donate blood he adds: “Absolutely give because you don’t know whose life you’ll save.”

“I really appreciate [knowing] where my blood went, especially something as critical and tragic as that,” Ann Stringer, an Ole Miss student from Flowood, said.

Donating blood during the time of a crisis is a positive thing people can do; however, the blood that is needed then is the blood that was donated before the explosion went off, before the storm hit, before the world was rocked on its heels. The people who save lives are the ones who take a few minutes of their time between classes, after work or while running errands to roll up their sleeves and donate.

The heroes of the Boston Marathon were the first responders, the medical teams that worked to save lives, the law enforcement officials who restored order, the men and women who comforted the injured and helped one another. And they were the blood donors who donated before the crisis—like the students at the University of Mississippi who donated their time and blood because it was the right thing to do. Something in the back of their minds said “someone is counting on you to donate” and they heeded that little voice.

No one knows what tomorrow holds. Taking the time to donate blood today will ensure that whatever it is, blood will be available for those who need it. Every day there are people who face their own personal crises: victims of trauma and illnesses. Every day there is a race to save lives—calamities where seconds count. Blood donors make a difference before tragedy strikes. Just ask the students who donated blood at the Ole Miss Derby Days Blood Drive.

Reblogged from The Manifest-Station:

I am publishing this from the snowy Berkshires of Massachusetts where I am leading a retreat at Kripalu. It had been one of the single most incredible moments of my life. This piece was written by Heather McKearnan who joined my retreat at the last minute, along with her mother. Heather's father passed away just last week so she happened to be in the next town over (she lives in Santa Fe) and, in her words, "there was no option of her NOT being here".

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Reblogged from Dr. Samantha Sutton's personal development blog:

We all dislike hearing sharp criticism, but it can also be hard to hear praise.

At the Handel Group, it's that time of year where all of us coaches get together and acknowledge the things we like about each other. It was my turn a few weeks ago, and I listened for ten minutes as some of my favorite people in the world told me what they admired about me. 

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Reblogged from Dr. Samantha Sutton's personal development blog:

Many clients come to us at the Handel Group® not knowing what they want in some aspect of their lives. Take career, for example. They know that they are not fulfilled in their current job, but they don’t know what would be more fulfilling. They envy other people who have known from an early age what they wanted to do. They may even conclude that “I am just not a passionate person,” “I don’t really have anything that drives me” or some other sort of fiddle-faddle like that.

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Reblogged from Dr. Samantha Sutton's personal development blog:

If you are anything like me, pursuing a dream seems like it should be a lot of work.

Last fall, when I began looking for the love of my life, I suited up for the long, laborious haul. I reasoned that I needed to make a stunning online dating profile, which would take me about ten drafts, spend a half-hour each day carefully sorting through the men on the sites, arrange outings with my girlfriends to meet men, and sift through crowded rooms to find the few men who clicked with me.

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“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Keep moving forward…

Ok, I’ll admit it. I found this great TED piece from Sherry Turkle on Facebook, from a note posted by a friend from work. How many times have we discussed this concept lately? I see it daily in my family, my business and in my relationships. Have we begun the process of eliminating our relationships because we can get along better and communicate better with a group of strung together machines? As Sherry notes, “The feeling that ‘no one is listening to me’ make us want to spend time with machines that seem to care about us.” I mean, they don’t argue with us; don’t interrupt our thoughts and sentences; and don’t think poorly of us if we use the wrong pronunciation or wording. We’re even free to be totally undisciplined and flame any person or subject we’d like with little to no retribution. As we’ve seen this week and many times over the past few years, even some of the more successful in their industry and professional practices lose their heads with and through Social Communication.

Take 20 minutes and listen to this piece. It will make you think and may even challenge you to improve your own processes in this valuable area; Human Communication.

I took this quick snapshot this morning as the sun was coming up over Neilson’s Department Store and up Van Buren Avenue in Oxford, MS. I loved this shot, as the streets were clear of cars, people, trash from the previous nights activities. It just seemed very peaceful. I love the Square early in the morning. Its a place I can think and I believe to some degree, a time when the Square itself can also think, catch its breath and be present before the business of the day begins.

Enjoy your day and find your presence in the moment.