Charley was somewhat apprehensive about today. He had asked the interns to tell him how the program he had started with them could be sustained. This was a great concern to him, and he hoped that the interns could give him some insights.
Charley met with them in their traditional setting, but something was different. The screen in the room was down, and the interns had prepared a presentation. The presentation began with a clock ticking with a voice over: “Tonight we want to share with you the legacy of a man we call Charley. You probably have never heard of him, but you know of the changes he has brought about in our society through the developing and nurturing of young people who wanted to make a difference with their lives.”
“It began with 10 young people who spent a summer with Charley learning about how change is initiated and sustained. Each of them went on to make remarkable advances in society. You probably know about Connor who changed the face of college athletics and by doing so opened up society when it was reverting back to the evils of the past. You probably had something to eat tonight that came from a family farm that was the result of Audra, another intern. And there are millions of our fellow citizens who no longer suffer from loneliness through the efforts of Austin, another intern.”
“But those 10 interns were just the beginning of Charley’s legacy. Over time each of them became role models for other young people who wanted to make a difference. Charley continued his internship program, but it changed as his original interns and those who followed those became mentors for developing interns. Every graduate of Charley’s program would eventually establish apprenticeships for the next round of interns. Gradually there were additional intern programs across the country.”
“As the intern networks expanded so did the number of people in America who became engaged in positive change. Hope replaced despair, gratitude replaced grievance, actions replaced stubbornness, and no longer could a person get elected by stoking public fears. And dreams became possible again.”
“Now we’ve told you about the first domino that Charley pushed, let’s tell you the stories of others in that domino chain that Charley started.”
At that moment, the words TO BE CONTINUED… appeared on the screen. Charley was speechless and tearful. He had never expected this. Each intern rose and came to Charley, gave him a hug, and presented him with a domino with their name on them. Then they gave him a bag of more dominoes with a note saying: MORE TO FOLLOW.
* * *
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett