Our lives are better because we have special people in them.
“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” – Jim Rohn
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind only to start all over again the next day and barely have a chance to catch your breath on the weekends. It’s important to stop for a moment … pause … take a breath and reflect on what truly matters in life.
Our lives are better because we have special people in them. My husband, sons, family, friends, and mentors–they’re all special and make my life full and complete.
Life rushes by, and within an instant, we can start losing those we love and who have made a difference. We need to make an effort to thank them and show our appreciation regularly. Even when we show our appreciation, there will be times when we’d like to do more.
Here at the SMPS Foundation, we’ve come up with a way to honor and remember those who have made a difference in the lives of our members.
The foundation recently established an endowment fund to honor deceased members who served in formal leadership roles of the Society and/or of the SMPS Foundation. Earnings from the endowment will be used to support leadership and learning opportunities for SMPS members. These activities may include underwriting or offering scholarships to attend Build Business, The Pinnacle Experience, or other events hosted by SMPS.
Some of you may know that recently SMPS lost a leader, mentor, pioneer, and most of all, a role model. Kenneth (Kenny) Diehl, P.E., FSMPS, the 2016 SMPS Weld Coxe Marketing Achievement Award winner, will be missed by all of us in the SMPS community. Kenny will be the inaugural honoree of this SMPS Foundation Leadership Memorial Endowment. He was an SMPS Fellow, one of the founding members of SMPS Nashville, served as SMPS president from 1995–96, and was a friend to many in the A/E/C community. His presence will be greatly missed by the entire SMPS family.
If you wish to make a donation to this fund, please send your tax-deductible contribution* made payable to the SMPS Foundation. Please include “SMPS Foundation Leadership Memorial Endowment” on the memo line of your check and send to:
SMPS Foundation
123 N Pitt Street
Suite 400
Alexandria, VA 22314
If you knew Kenny, the Jim Rohn quote embodies everything he represented. I can’t think of a better way to memorialize leaders than to use this endowment fund to contribute to the growth of our members and continue the legacy of these leaders—and friends—we’ve lost.
Thanks to all of you who are making a difference!
SMPSly,
Melissa
SMPS Foundation President Melissa Lutz, FSMPS, CPSM, is principal at Champlin Architecture. She can be reached at melissa.lutz@thinkchamplin.com or 513.241.4474, x116.
*Tax-deductible contributions for U.S. residents only.
