The Leading Edge – A Little Fun(draising) for Our Pal Stephen

I know I've been posting leadership tips here, but this week's Leading Edge is personal.

Our pal Stephen Clinton has always been a true southern gentleman. On any given Sunday, you can find him in church, clad in a seersucker suit, making friends, giving out handshakes and hugs, and telling tales.

Five years ago, Stephen was diagnosed with ALS. Since then, the dreaded disease has stolen his ability to eat and walk and talk and do the basic things that makes a body work as the Good Lord intended. But it still hasn’t taken away his ability to spin a yarn, as he is busy authoring three different books about his life – typing them out with the aid of a screen that tracks his eye movements. While the aforementioned technology doesn’t have the capability to detect any exaggeration in his writing, we’re grateful for this bug, as we would never want the truth to get in the way of a good story. Pulitzer may not be anxiously awaiting these works covering topics like duck hunting, serving as a House Boy in an Arkansas sorority in the 80’s, and battling Lou Gherig’s disease, but we’re putting a deposit down for an advance copy of each.

As you might imagine, fighting one of the world’s cruelest ailments comes at a great cost – often tens of thousands of dollars per month. Stephen’s spirit is boundless, and his kids are the most resilient bunch of caregivers you’ve ever met, but it would mean the world to us if you could donate to the cause (tax-deductible link below) to help fund nurses and treatments that enable Stephen to spend more time with the people he loves. And there is a LOT of love to go around.

Peace and blessings to all of you. And, heartfelt gratitude for any generosity you can muster.

Sincerely,

Smitty, Dannemiller, and all of Team Stephen

DONATION LINK: https://buy.stripe.com/00g6qTfnx5xw9ag28l

TEAM STEPHEN LINK: http://genlife.squarespace.com/stephen-clinton-fund

P.S. If you’re looking for evidence of good in the world, after we shot this video, we went out to dinner, leaving the cleanup of the buckets and sign for later. Upon returning to the house, “Smitty” found a twenty dollar bill taped to the poster board. A perfect stranger, walking by, performing a random act of kindness for another human. Just because. Proof that good wins in the end. We just have to be looking for it.