The most amazing gift

On May 18, we celebrated 10 years of Kate's Club. (Holy camoly - I can't believe it has been 10 years!)  As co-chair of the event, I knew all the details of the night....or so I thought.

I was surprised that evening with the most amazing gift I have ever received in my life. Here it is:

Kate's Club Stars Video from Rachel Ezzo on Vimeo.

Incline: Helping Veterans Get Back to Work

Took a road trip to a visit a Fort yesterday. No, not that kind of fort - although being Memorial Day weekend that would have been cool. My friend Garrett and I headed up to the northwestern corner of Georgia to Fort Oglethorpe to visit our bestie, Mitali.

(Side note: She moved back there over a year ago from the bustling District of Columbia to take care of her Dad, her Baba, who is battling cancer. Her story in itself is an inspiring living by giving one, but I'll save that for later.)

As we relaxed, chatted and enjoyed a sunny afternoon together, she brought up a friend of hers who has started this amazing venture called Incline.  Mitali gets to meet a lot of amazing entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs through her work; I get the privilege of learning all about them from her. Always inspiring.

Yesterday, she shared about her friend, Brittany Laughlin. She is a brilliant young entrepreneur with a proven track record in the tech start-up world, has traveled to every continent and has a network worthy of Warren Buffet's attention. She also grew up with a father in the Navy and has kept this community close to her heart.

Last year, Brittany, whose grandfather and brother have served in the armed forces as well, launched a new start-up called Incline. Incline has a razor-focused mission: To educate, support, and equip military veterans with the skills and resources to pursue full-time job opportunities in technology and engineering. I love it!

Here's a video that explains more:

For Memorial Day, I wanted to share Incline with all of you. We are all just two degrees away from someone who has fought in the military...I know, can you believe it??!...so please tell a Veteran or someone you know about this program and let’s work together to help them find fruitful and prosperous jobs upon their return from defending our freedom! To me, that is what this day is all about. That's living by giving!

We remember!

11Alive Community Service Awards

On April 23rd I received a huge honor given out to 11 individuals in the Atlanta community making a difference. The award is given by our local NBC affiliate 11Alive News. The night was super special as my Dad came down from Virginia to be my date...(and I had a reason for that.) Here we are before the big show.

My Dad is amazing. And this is why I chose to dedicate the award to him. You can watch how it all goes down here. I was really honored, but I also got a little overwhelmed by the moment because it was such a special one for my Dad and me. Kate's Club was something started out of the loss of my mom, but my Dad has been an amazing inspiration in my life - even more so in her absence. I feel humbled to receive this award, but I feel lucky to have such a great Dad. Enjoy.

Why I "Do Good"

This week, I was announced as one of GOOD’s 100 people who are moving the world forward. While this is certainly an honor and I was so grateful to make the list, a piece of me hesitated at receiving the recognition.  Why? For me, with any recognition, I question my worthiness of it and I reflect on the perception it builds amongst those learning more about me in the context of it.  Plus, it was certainly fair play for my friends who often get a little light-hearted with all my good work, and jokingly call me Saint Kate.  I mean my motto is “Living by Giving”, so I get it.  

As I have pondered owning this identity, I have thought a lot about why I do give. While those closest to me sometimes joke, they are also the people that know I am not perfect and nowhere near a saint.  I definitely have my times of pure selfishness, intense competitiveness, shameful vanity, and straight-up fun, just like the rest of us.  But that’s not the point of this post.

The point of this post is to share why giving back and helping others is so important in my life.  The easy answer is: it’s the right thing to do or it just feels good. Well, let me be totally honest, it doesn’t always feel good. Sometimes it’s sad, sometimes it’s frustrating, sometimes it’s boring. But one thing giving always is for me is “real.” It is always an opportunity to feel connected, and to feel a part of my life journey as a part of something much bigger than just me.

I learned very early in life how important that connection is; I lost the core connection to life, my mom, at a very early age. And perhaps I have been on a journey ever since to gain that back.  I feel grateful for this search, for this journey and for all the connection I have felt because of it. 

In today’s world, we too often limit ourselves to define connection via profiles, twitter handles and screen names. I challenge you to give back and get real. It doesn’t matter if you are in the darkest days of your life or at the peak of your biggest success, go out and be a part of humanity. Do something that is about a greater good than just you.  Engage in your community. Engage with kids, your peers, your elders…just engage, face to face, in real time.  Don’t worry, you don’t have to give up the fun or irresponsible side of you, just balance the two. 

Dan Palotta's TED Talk

I have been a supporter of Dan's perspective on the state our our non-profit business sector since reading his book, Uncharitable a couple of years ago. It's definitely more of an advocacy effort for those of us working in the non-profit sector, but his recent TED talk also speaks squarely to the individual philanthropist. Agree or not with his arguments, he most certainly turns the idea of philanthropy inside out, challenging us to think about our contributions in a new more contemporary way. Enjoy.