I am proud to be on the Board of Directors for CARES, a not-for-profit that creates an online support resource and community about the issues facing families who deal with schizophrenia. At the annual meeting, there was a “changing of the guard” for new leadership after many years of devoted service by John and Winnie Delehanty. The passion that so many members and volunteers have for helping others and eliminating the stigma of this unfortunate mental illness was nothing short of inspiring. Anyone who has a family member or close friend who deals with this issue is encouraged to follow the launch of an exciting new community resource supported by CARES. A library of videos will address the everyday issues and concerns of those affected their families and caregivers. The world has never experienced such a powerful and personal library of information that can be accessed from anyone’s living room.

I had another incredible and unexpected experience that afternoon. I sat at the “head table” with Kevin Doran. Admittedly, even I can be “star struck” meeting someone I see on TV several evenings each week. I meet amazing people in my work, but the awe never goes away. If you have never had the opportunity to meet Kevin Doran in person, he is an incredibly down-to-earth and genuine person. Without reservation, he shared personal stories about growing up and enthusiastically answered everyone’s questions about his job as a news anchor. (Imagine that he must be asked these same questions thousands of times.) He was so incredibly passionate about his work and so open about how he approaches his news duties. He affirmed the trust I have in what he does every day. Newscasters and lawyers can suffer from the misdeeds of others in the industry. I think that is part of why his integrity made such a personal impression on me. I know this is a deviation from our usual legal subject matter, but I believe it is important to share positive experiences about community leaders. There is so much going bad in the world. I love to find inspiration in my everyday interactions and experiences. I imagine the events of that afternoon will stay with me for years to come.