Dream Big

By Christy Hopkins

At last week’s Resource Development team meeting, we discussed ways to grow and multiply local funds, foundations that offer endowment grants, and other area partners that may be able to assist in the future. We were talking about moderate growth, of easily attainable goals, of dreams that seemed within our reach.

At one point, Terry Woodbury, who was sitting in on the meeting, said, “dream big,” and encouraged us to think about a multi-million dollar endowment fund, of large projects, of a community foundation capable of supporting the dreams, hopes, and desires of our community.

In an instant, the conversation changed. We went from talking about fireworks shows to facilities, from fundraisers to challenge grants and major projects.

We took ourselves out of our modest, manageable Midwestern mindsets and started dreaming New York City style – the ten-foot tall and bulletproof “nothing can stop us now” type dreams.

With one comment, our outlook was altered. Even more than “we can,” we began thinking “we will.” We set aside the limitations, the niggling voices in our heads that said “that’s unreasonable, perhaps impossible” and looked to the future with a determination to succeed. And in those moments, I was reminded of a Don Ward quote, “If you are going to doubt something, doubt your limits.”

Christy is Director of the Greeley County Community Development Corporation in Tribune, Ks.