"Eighteen years ago I wrote a letter to Doug LaViolette after having spent one hour with him while in the process of purchasing office furniture. The encounter was brief, but I remember it having a profound impact on the rest of my day.
I wanted to reach out directly to Doug and share with him what our conversation had meant to me and how impressed I was with the dedication and devotion of The Brian LaViolette Foundation. In fact those were two of the exact words I used to describe his work, "dedication and devotion." I went on to tell him "I commend you and your family to have the strength to create such wonderful contributions out of what seems senseless misfortune."
It was an honest letter written to convey a sense of appreciation. The Brian LaViolette Foundation is a great platform for our community.
Those closest to Brian, would tell you he was a soul beyond his years. Always writing and collecting inspirational messages, Brian once wrote down the phrase, "The journey is the reward" and it has since become the hallmark of the foundation.
The Burgess family; Tom, Maddie, Ben, Emily and Kate, with puppies Beatrice and Honey
In reflecting on both Brian's words and my own personal experiences in the years since that afternoon conversation with Doug, it is remarkable to know how those words have had the power to impact my life.
There is an immediate sense of how one might think about the value of life and the importance of family and how quickly those things can change. My wife Kate and I were not yet parents when Brian died and now we have three children of our own, one of whom is set to begin her first year of college this fall.
Then, several years ago while traveling through Rome, we were able to stop at a church where one of Brian's best friends at the time of his death had gone on to enter into the priesthood. It reminded us that regardless of where you are in the world, how we can maintain the ability to identify people who are part of our tribe, so to speak, and have remained connected by Brian's life.
My family's relationship with the LaViolette family has only grown in the years since I wrote that letter and I am moved by their passion to continue the words of their son and brother.
It is particularly remarkable to me how well the phrase, "the journey is the reward" has been translated into action many times by the foundation.
Kate and I have attended many gatherings in support of the foundation and have often spoke with others regarding its continuous impact on the lives of the youth and families in our community.
Enough time has passed, that our own organization, Elevate97, has been blessed to employ the services of a former scholarship recipient.
The strength of The Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation can be found in the heart of its values; it is truly an organization that allows people to develop their own abilities to succeed. Its ability to remain sustainable can be directly attributed to all the ways in which it continuously fosters new pathways for the community it serves.
There is a deep sense of commitment within its leaders as it sets out to both create opportunity and cultivate new resources and services... the goals of the foundation will continue for years to come.
Brian's story is one I will carry with me always because truly..."the journey is the reward"
