15th Annual Conference Wrap Up
Noël Schiber
Senior Director of Stewardship
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
We said “Meet us in St. Louis!”…and more than 600 of you did! For three days, people from different cities and organizations of all sizes came together to connect, grow, and celebrate our passion for gratitude in the shadow of The Gateway Arch.
Day one started in church, with the Reverend Starsky Wilson taking us a on a journey through time. We met people whose lives in St. Louis are clouded by inequality and distrust, and learned how philanthropy is the fuel for them and the entire community to confront and change uncomfortable truths. We were reminded that we, through our profession, can make this world more inclusive by using our power for good.
On day two, Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas showed us scientifically that gratitude is essential to being human. The proof? We looked no further than 11-year-old Miss C. J. Mahoney and her mom, who introduced us to our service opportunity, The Little Bit Foundation, which C. J. knows “she wants to help for her whole life.” (I’m not crying – you’re crying!)
Day three brought us all to our feet as Penelope Burk proclaimed, “You are my people!” Her sage guidance and snappy wit sent all of us to our final sessions with renewed energy and dedication to what we do. As Penelope said, we are key to saving lives, innovating through the arts and education, and changing the world.
Through a rich selection of sessions, we connected, commiserated, shared, supported, and had “light bulb” moments. We laughed and cried, met new mentors and made new friends, captured our memories on social media, and went home re-equipped and re-committed to the donor relations profession. The 15th Annual ADRP International Conference truly was a “gateway to good” that we all passed through on the roads home to our own communities. Many, many thanks to the volunteers, mentors, presenters, staff, sponsors, and participants who put this conference on the map. I can’t wait to see you next year in Miami!
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