THE REWARD OF LONG-TERM INVESTMENT
For those of us who love March Madness and the culminating vibrance it brought to our city for the Final Four and accompanying D2 & D3 championship games, what a bow it's been on top of a fun college basketball season (albeit a too-soon ending for Purdue basketball).
As we get closer to the May graduation season, the culminating celebration of years of investment, April is an important sprint to the finish for the Class of 2026 seniors. For Elevate, April is a critical time to remain diligent in helping our students spring into the next season of life.
This month is the final push in completing post-secondary plans, including:
- Helping students with those final college choices
- Determining the best straight-to-the-workforce decisions
- In some cases, helping students with credit recovery so they can cross that graduation stage with joy.
With nearly 150 seniors in the Class of 2026, we are thrilled to be able to have invested so deeply in such a diverse group of students.
However, while I love to see the fruits of my own labor as much as the next person, for me, the work is the reward. It’s in the process of doing the work itself, which brings small moments of great joy along the way. For the work to be the reward, the dashboard has to be greater than the traditional scoreboard. Watching our students engage and grow step by step, even with the setbacks, is what leads to the long-term life-changing impact Elevate is passionate about.
Long-term, holistic, community development work can often be two steps forward and three steps back, or two steps forward and one step back. The messier and the more uncontrollable the circumstances of the student we’re investing in, the more difficult it is to know if progress is being made.
Every child has a different starting point, with most circumstances being beyond their control at the beginning and along the way.
At Elevate, we know it’s extrinsic until it’s intrinsic. I love that the journey of learning, improving, creating, and solving problems that can be very fulfilling on its own, all while we wait for those mountain-top winning moments, like graduation! When you’re engaged in meaningful work, the experience itself becomes rewarding.
As we are in our fourth quarter of the 10th year of impact, there are still so many great ways for you to support, engage, and grow alongside us. We welcome you to reach out to our Development Manager, Heather@elevateindy.org or myself directly to find ways to expand your personal or corporate impact of the next generation.
Serving with you,
Aaron Story
CEO & President, Elevate Indianapolis
