On March 10th, 2020, a group of relative strangers came together in Columbus, Ohio. Some of us were there in person, and some of us Zoomed in remotely from our various locations across the United States and Canada. Our mission was simple: better ourselves, better the world. That’s what legacy means, after all: leaving behind a message to the rest of everyone, leaving the world a better place than when we found it.
By the time our first module hit on March 17th we’d received the news of the Covid-19 virus that was sweeping across the globe. Our team was understandably concerned; did this mean that we wouldn’t be able to continue? What would the Vision Impact Program look like if we couldn’t be together in the training room? Until this point, all of us had done all of our trainings in person. There’s something magical about being in the room together.
But we would not be leaders if we turned tail and ran because we hit a bump in the road. Life is full of things that come up, full of excuses and stories that we could tell ourselves for all the reasons why not. We didn’t want to be a why not. We wanted to be a why.
Thus the Virtual Visionaries were born, the first VIP team to take it fully digital.
Fearless, we called ourselves. And we were. We stepped into the unknown because we trusted the system, trusted the process, and trusted each other. Even though the world was scary, we knew that we could lean on one another.
Connected, we said. And we were. We connected to each other remotely, with phones and tablets and computers. We used voice chat and text chat and webcams to stay in touch. It was an even playing field, with no one left out.
Love. That’s what we wanted to spread. Love to each other, love to the world.
So we did.
On April 19th our team decided on our Community Service Project for Equitas Health. Even though it would look different from prior projects, we did not intend to play small. We declared that we would raise $45,000 in 21 days. Our fundraiser launched on April 24th. We had a live bingo event and sold 297 tickets, with over $1,000 worth of prizes available, sourced by our team. We had multiple Facebook live events held by various team members - events that they put on individually or in teams - to source more donations. We called, we texted, we messaged, we handed you our phones in check out lines or while we delivered your groceries so you could donate. We created social media challenges to raise awareness, not only of our own goals, but also for Equitas. Why Equitas? Because now, in this time of global crisis, healthcare is on the forefront of everyone’s mind. Because no one should be denied access to healthcare based on gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, or ability to pay. Because Equitas is more than a clinic or a doctor’s office: they are a source of change in the world. In 1984 they opened their doors as an AIDS / HIV task force to provide care to people despite the fear surrounding the disease. They bring together communities of doctors and staff and patients that have an understanding of each other and their individual needs without discrimination. They celebrate you: whoever you are, whatever that looks like.
That sounds like fearless, connection, and love. We are happy to announce that we not only hit our goal, we exceeded it. In 21 days, our team raised $59,280 for Equitas Health.
Thank you for all of your support. Thank you for all of your heartfelt messages. Thank you for being part of the massive impact.
Thank you for being fearless.
Next Level Trainings’ 28th Columbus Leadership Class – The Virtual Visionaries
