Class of 2018 Leaders Graduation

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With the graduation of these remarkable leaders, Crave has begun! The celebration was a lovely gathering of open-hearted and supportive friends, family, and new supporters. Time, money, and décor was donated by the Board Members. One Board Member even flew from Vermont to attend! Each Crave Leader added to our merriment with the addition of parents, employers, roommates, co-workers, and friends. These folks filled the room with joy and excitement as they heard the Crave Leaders each share their growing projects and how their year together has grounded, formed, and bonded them.

Ashley Vann, Founder of the Victory Cup Initiative and President of Vann Strategies, was our keynote speaker. She inspired the Leaders to focus on their integrity, vision, and outreach financiances. The radically inclusive love expressed along with the critical values of leadership, faith, and the celebration of active citizenship were palpable throughout the evening.

As the Crave Leaders were taking photos and excitedly planning our first Alumni Retreat to the beach in July, one of their fathers pulled me aside. It was obvious he had something important to share. He cleared his throat and stared at the ground in silence, hands on hips bracing himself for unprecedented vulnerability with me, a stranger. He finally looked right at me, tears tipping over his eyelids. “Before…” looking at the ground again, wiping his tears. “Before this,” he motioned with his chin toward his daughter among the laughing Crave Leaders. “She was really lost. Not okay, you know?” I didn’t know. His daughter is remarkable, wise, and now actively uses pain from her past to change people’s lives for the better. He started again. “From an old Presbyterian like me, I want you to know I’m real glad the church is paying for you to do this. I guess what I’m saying is… please keep going.” His daughter will not return to his church. She’s learned and embraced that she is building church right where she is among the folks she’s healing with her loving touch, deep well of wisdom, and clarity of purpose. She is not someone I’d describe as lost. In fact, she is quite “found.” And that is the Amazing Grace at work through Crave.

The Holy Spirit, the Great Mystery, Love (with a capital L), the Power of Nature, the Juice, that Something More emerged when we were together. We named it, tapped into it, and are now deploying it in our relationships and work. It has propelled us all to the next step of our projects for the Common Good. And amazingly, it has united us so strongly that we’re ready to share it with the next group of Crave Leaders in Orlando. We invite you to be a part of that next group by applying here by July 1st. Crave has begun. Please join us.

Michele Van Son Neill
Founder
Crave, Inc.

October 2017 – Molli Miller

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http://cravefla.org/october-2017-molli-miller/

What an adventure Crave has been over the last month! The initial group interview was the perfect ice breaker. We were asked simple, humorous questions like, “Dog or cat?” which led into deeper inquiries such as, “If you were stranded on a deserted island, would you make it, and if so, how long?” We also identified our ‘word’ after a little prayer, meditation and learning about the book One Word That Will Change Your Life. The overnight retreat followed with a group brainstorming session where ideas flooded the room defining Crave’s mission. The Enneagram workshop (AMAZING) and dinner followed. At dinner, we broke bread with the board members and met our mentors. We each received a copy the book One Word That Will Change Your Life and a beautiful wooden plaque with our words inscribed on the front. The next morning we did an activity that explored our dreams/visions and identified where each was coming from; the heart, the head, the gut, etc. We also received our copies of The Wayfinder Journal for Journeying and our first assignment. The next meeting took place at the quaint Little Red House. Here we did an activity focusing on what we are most proud of from our past and what we intend to do with our future. This was a powerful experience because it uncovered the delicate balance between self love and loving others. It also allowed us to take our personal assets and combine them to describe what we want Crave to become. We did some weeding out in the garden and meditated on what areas of our personal lives needs pruning. Most recently, we met at the Edyth Bush Institute to discuss funding and networking.  We met experts in the field such as Margaret Linnane, Karen Revels and Ashley Vann. We learned a great deal about telling our stories, giving our case for support and how to network when it comes to nonprofit and philanthropic funding.

The Crave journey over the past month has touched both my personal and work life in remarkable ways! The word I chose, ‘Surrender’, has been moving me ever since I chose it. I have been experiencing moments of sinking into situations and letting the story unfold without getting in the way. The Enneagram workshop facilitated another way of looking at myself and how I tick. It began the process of thinking outside the box as I began to see how my greatest weaknesses could be seen as my greatest strengths and vice versa. Reading One Word That Will Change Your Life showed how setting an intention and meditating on it daily really works! Picking just one word and keeping it simple is so helpful. I personally have a habit of setting the bar too high and putting too many things on my to-do list, which often sets me up to fail or feel overwhelmed. Having one word as an overlying theme for them is a great form meditation which I have transferred over to my surf school. I have the students focus on one thing they really want to work on for that lesson or that week. The “Why Section” of The Wayfinders Journal has really allowed me to dig deep into who I am and where I am heading. The quote at the beginning of The Wayfinders Journal says it all: “Be your compass. Make a map. Trust your feet to find your path. There’s only one person who can show you the way.” This book has really realigned me with trusting my inner guidance and encouraging my students to do the same. Meeting with Margaret, Karen, and Ashley at the Edyth Bush Institute really motivated me work on my case for support and think about how I will tell my story. I am not a nonprofit yet, just a former surfer and classroom teacher who now runs a surf school that facilitates learning environment for children at the beach. I want to make the world a better place one wave at a time. Meeting with the leaders in networking and fundraising at the Edyth Bush Institute inspired and motivated me. It broadened my scope and I have a bigger vision now. I want to help more children with less opportunities to get to the water. I want to facilitate more therapeutic, learning environments for more children though surfing. I hope this has given you a peek into what October has held for Crave and how it is actively shaping me and my business.

Molli Miller
Owner/Operator
M&M Surf School