I love the freedom of advertising. How many careers actually encourage their employees to catch up on their creativity, catchy puns and Facebook posting ideas? Not many. It is a bonus knowing that these activities help businesses reach out to their audiences in a meaningful way, ultimately helping them become successful, sought-after businesses.
However, my curiosity and possible career routes had both grown over the years, so I needed a final shove to become fully dedicated to this field.
I looked to my role model, my mother, to help me decide which career path to take. This woman not only brought me into the world, she is someone who has seen and supported me through it all. You see, my mother is the “how does she do it?” kind of awesome. And you’ll come to see why I have these bragging rights.
After unexpectedly losing my father 2 1/2 years ago my mother struggled to leave the life they had planned behind. She let the grief sink in, and slowly, she gained a whole new appetite for life that I hadn’t seen in her before. She banded together with some friends to do something she had always dreamed of: create a non-profit organization in our hometown of Mandan, N.D. that provides recreational and sporting opportunities to kids with mobility challenges or visual impairments. They named it Dreams in Motion.
Thanks to Dreams in Motion, children who previously had to sit out from many activities get the chance to try soccer, ice-sled hockey, dance, track and field and curling activities; and my mother and her fellow founders consider this the mere beginning to the wide-open possibilities of activities to offer. Even though I was 200 miles away at the time, I knew I had to somehow get on board.
My mother knew that I was quite the social butterfly, especially when it came to the web, so she gratefully gave me a thumbs up when I opted to create event releases as well as start up and continually work on Dreams in Motion’s social media pages. I was determined to reach out to people and share the inspiration and fun of this unique organization. My mission was to spread the word and grab people’s curiosity enough to make them want to learn more. Little did I know this would become more of a life calling than just a fun activity to do on the side.
Since its initial debut, Dreams in Motion has grown more quickly than my mother ever would have imagined. The organization has been featured in countless news stories, regularly receives eager volunteers (frequently in the form of local sporting teams) and was recently rewarded a nearly $50,000 grant from the Bremer Foundation for more wheelchairs and program expansion. It’s safe to say Dreams in Motion has become not only a force to be reckoned with, but also something people can’t wait to experience first-hand.
Watching my mother go after a long-awaited dream and succeed, knowing that I had even the tiniest bit to do with it, inspired me. I wanted to find what I love and run with it, carrying the same passion and zest for life as my mother did. It also made me realize that my career path had been right in front of me. It brought some serious meaning to John Lennon’s quote: “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” I want to take part in helping businesses and organizations achieve every dream, every mission.
This is precisely what led me to IRONCLAD Marketing, where I continue to explore my new-found aspirations in public relations and social media marketing.
