"THERE ARE FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON."
A couple of weeks ago, St. Jude announced a partnership with Jared Isaacman, a jet pilot, entrepreneur, and philanthropist known for adventurous fundraisers supporting children's healthcare charities. Isaacman will be commanding the first all-civilian mission to the moon, and one of the spots will go to a St. Jude donor (it’s basically a raffle). The fundraising goal for the project is $200M, with $100M of that coming from Isaacman’s own donation.
Reading Isaacman’s bio, I discovered that his fortune came from a payment processing company he started in his basement when he was, get this, 16, my age now. I’m pretty sure that if you had asked the adults in his life at the time where his project might go, they would never have predicted that it would help him become a leader in the field of integrated payment processing or that it would give him a vehicle to support sick kids around the world, and certainly not that it would lead him and three other non-astronauts to the moon. But people who make an impact like Jared Isaacman don’t concern themselves much with predictions and opinions. And kids with cancer will be better off because of it. You can read more about this amazing project HERE.
When I turned 13, Sharon McCollam, a business leader and long-time supporter of St. Jude, gifted me a painting of the sky done by a St. Jude patient in art therapy. The painting says: “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” Being willing to forge a path forward despite obstacles is how great things get done. I always try to keep this in mind in my fundraising for St. Jude!
