My name is Scott Gallagher, and I’m the founder of Run4RKids, the annual indoor marathon, ultramarathon, 30K and Kids Runs scheduled for January 4th 2014.
This year, we have something special that we want to accomplish. We want the proceeds to be sufficient for us to have our own Michael Mikhail co-present our Choice Centered Leadership program curriculums for youth to a worthy school right here in Ontario.
The Choice Centered Leadership programs are custom designed to help support kids on many levels.
Our program is a team leadership, habit mastery and accountability program that has been extremely successful in helping youth avoid or end self-destructive or unproductive habits. The full curriculum results in a self-sustaining 4-week accountability structure for all the participants to succeed at what’s important to them.
The program consists of a keynote presentation, an information session and a question/answer session leading up to where the students are able to self-select into the program. This is followed by additional instruction and coaching for the self-selected kids and the 2-4 adults that are also in the program with the kids for the 4 weeks.
The 4-week follow up program tends to attract kids and teachers who are committed to having more positive and successful habits, and/or reducing unwanted habits that they are not asked to disclose – these can include alcohol, drugs, self-harm, bullying, tobacco and other destructive habits.
It is a very comprehensive program, and has been very successful in the 7 years I have been presenting it in different forms. The program costs $20k to deliver, and is usually paid for by a corporate sponsorship.
Now, let me tell you what makes Michael Mikhail so special. Michael is my protégé, which is a story in and of itself. I’ve been presenting both my school and my corporate programs for over 7 years. During that time, I have worked with a great many good people that wanted to help spread my message. But I never had anyone that I felt had the right heart and motivation to be worthy of my investing my time in them.
Here is how I first met Michael. A program like mine, as difficult as it is to find funding, requires a large number of interns to be successful. I have a few people that recruit and manage our interns, because I don’t usually have the time to work directly with any of them. One of the managers came to me telling me about this particular guy who was doing some volunteer graphic design work. I have worked with a large number of designers over time, and there was something about this person’s ability to communicate in pictures and colors that was better than anyone I’d worked with. My gut told me that there was something special about him, and my spirit was telling me to reach out to him.
I decided to say thanks to him by giving him one of my $2k, 4-hour career and life coaching sessions. During that session, I found out that Michael, when he was in school, was the “poster child” of the kind of kids we help. He lived, and continues to live, in the projects. He and his family struggle with money, and he was consistently bullied at school. Like many marginalized kids, he was at risk for becoming self destructive and addicted. But what I found was startling. Michael’s form of self-destruction was to be addicted to helping people, to being a people pleaser, and saying yes to everyone. I have never met anyone that was so humble, and wanted so much to help other people.
After our session, I gave Michael a job referral to a friend of mine who is a multi-million dollar Real Estate Marketing guru, who immediately hired Michael. Within weeks, Michael was making more money than he had ever before. But in his heart, he felt something missing, and he approached me and said he wanted to come and work with me and be mentored by me as an entrepreneur, even though I couldn’t pay him a salary. He sacrificed a well-paying, secure job that would have taken him far in terms of material gains, to volunteer with me so he could make a real difference with kids, and spare them them the path of low self esteem that he had.
Michael was completely committed to helping us spread our message of unconditional love and acceptance to kids, First Nations people, and corporations. He was willing to do anything, graphics, work the phones, help present programs; he was willing to do anything that helped us impact these kids.
I have been approached by a number of people in the past that were interested in learning everything behind my programs, and carrying on my work. Understand that I have great interview and people-reading skills received from 15 years in corporate recruiting and owning the Executive Network. I always felt like the people that approached me about being mentored, it had more to do with ego, and getting something for themselves by being the onstage persona, than from being a complete person wanting to show unconditional love and acceptance to these kids.
I immediatly recognized Michael’s unselfish, pure heart, and I began to see him as part of my legacy for my Choice Centered Leadership programs. I always knew that if anything ever happened to me, my work would stop. And I now knew that Michael would be the one, if I gave him everything I could, he could take over for me and teach others and carry on my work if anything ever happened to me, and deliver my work with the full spirit and integrity of the design and the spirit that’s behind all my work. Michael has become my protégé.
To fully understand what a giving, wonderful person Michael is, first I’m at a loss for words, but I’ll try my best. Let me tell you what he did for me recently, and some lucky at-risk kids in Winnipeg.
There is a school in Winnipeg that is 80% First Nation, and has a very large number of marginalized kids. In fact that school has a therapy building right next door where most of these kids live. Most of them have no parents, and have been to treatment centers and jail, and violent crime is rampant. Whenever there is a crime in the area, the police will almost always come to this school first to find out what who knows what from the school.
They are looking at poverty and despair with no way out. This school had been requesting our program for the past 6 years and we were able to find a foundation to fund 75% of the full curriculum of programs. For the 2 months prior to the program, which we delivered in September, Michael took it upon himself to work full time, with no experience in sales or marketing, to find some way to fund the remaining 25% for this school. While he wasn’t successful getting outside funding to make up the difference, he gave it is all. Even though he was scared being on the phone, and being confronted, he just kept on trying, right up until the day before we travelled to Winnipeg. After seeing Michaels valiant effort, I decided to make up the difference and sponsor the remaining 25% myself as an in-kind gift.
We brought Michael with us to Winnipeg to help with the program.
Now, one of the things I have found out over the many years of delivering my programs, is that I try to schedule these programs around a marathon.
There is something about running a marathon that really clears my head and puts me in the right spiritual, unconditional love and giving mindset to really impact these kids. But I had a challenge. I am not at my most fit, and I am not a great runner. and if I run a marathon with 1,000 people in it, I’m likely to be in the final 20. This marathon in Winnipeg had only about 40 runners in it, so I realized that I would be running alone for most of the race, and they had a 6-hour cutoff for the race. Running alone, I might not finish the marathon in time.
Michael realized that having me not be able to finish the marathon could have a negative affect on the program, so he insisted on doing the marathon with me side by side. Note that while Michael is a healthy young man, he is not a runner, and had not been training to run a marathon. Yet, in order to support me in giving my best program, he walked and ran the marathon with me. He didn’t even have proper shoes. He even injured his foot during the race, and he didn’t let me know about it until we got back to Toronto. He hid it from me because he didn’t want to put anything negative in my head that could affect the kids.
During the marathon, we created his keynote presentation that would introduce me. Even though he was scared to speak publicly, he was willing to do anything that would help the kids.
My program requires a minimum of 2-4 adults who are seen by the kids as part of the school community, to participate equally with kids, doing the program themselves for their own reasons.
Unfortunately, this school failed to attract the minimum of 2 adult participants required for the program’s success. So you can see how badly this program was needed.
I told Michael that we absolutely needed 2 adults, so the program was on track to fail. We wouldn’t be able to deliver the 4-week follow up program. Then I got this really creative idea. I said “what if that second adult, Michael, was you? But they have to perceive you as part of the school community. The only way I can see that happening is if I got you to do the keynote presentation, and went out to lunch with the kids the day before the program is scheduled.”
Michael was scared to death, as he’d never spoken publicly before. After the marathon, and me teaching him how to do the keynote, he spent the next day creating a new power point slide presentation to go with it. He was up all night putting it together.
Despite his lack of experience, Michael’s love for these kids, and his heartfelt desire to make a difference in their lives really shone through, and his keynote address was a huge success https://vimeo.com/74332664. For the 4 weeks following the event, Michael is playing the role of an adult community member, doing the program with the kids, so the kids can be successful.
I cannot explain just how unconditionally loving Michael is, and the incredible impact he is having on those kids’ lives.
And now, I really want Michael’s greatness to play a more public role in leading and delivering our program to a school right here in Ontario.
Michael will be running in the Run4RKids Indoor 6-hour Ultramarathon. This time we hope he’ll train [[said with a smile]] so he doesn’t get injured. He’ll be doing his first 6-hour ultra. But we need his run to mean something to the children he so badly wants to help.
What I am asking from you, is to help us raise enough money to deliver that program. It is expensive, but the impact that it has on kids’ lives is worth 100 times what it costs. I am asking you, to help me raise enough money so that Michael can step up and play the role he deserves to play in helping these kids.
Thank you very much for all your help and support.
This year, we have something special that we want to accomplish. We want the proceeds to be sufficient for us to have our own Michael Mikhail co-present our Choice Centered Leadership program curriculums for youth to a worthy school right here in Ontario.
The Choice Centered Leadership programs are custom designed to help support kids on many levels.
Our program is a team leadership, habit mastery and accountability program that has been extremely successful in helping youth avoid or end self-destructive or unproductive habits. The full curriculum results in a self-sustaining 4-week accountability structure for all the participants to succeed at what’s important to them.
The program consists of a keynote presentation, an information session and a question/answer session leading up to where the students are able to self-select into the program. This is followed by additional instruction and coaching for the self-selected kids and the 2-4 adults that are also in the program with the kids for the 4 weeks.
The 4-week follow up program tends to attract kids and teachers who are committed to having more positive and successful habits, and/or reducing unwanted habits that they are not asked to disclose – these can include alcohol, drugs, self-harm, bullying, tobacco and other destructive habits.
It is a very comprehensive program, and has been very successful in the 7 years I have been presenting it in different forms. The program costs $20k to deliver, and is usually paid for by a corporate sponsorship.
Now, let me tell you what makes Michael Mikhail so special. Michael is my protégé, which is a story in and of itself. I’ve been presenting both my school and my corporate programs for over 7 years. During that time, I have worked with a great many good people that wanted to help spread my message. But I never had anyone that I felt had the right heart and motivation to be worthy of my investing my time in them.
Here is how I first met Michael. A program like mine, as difficult as it is to find funding, requires a large number of interns to be successful. I have a few people that recruit and manage our interns, because I don’t usually have the time to work directly with any of them. One of the managers came to me telling me about this particular guy who was doing some volunteer graphic design work. I have worked with a large number of designers over time, and there was something about this person’s ability to communicate in pictures and colors that was better than anyone I’d worked with. My gut told me that there was something special about him, and my spirit was telling me to reach out to him.
I decided to say thanks to him by giving him one of my $2k, 4-hour career and life coaching sessions. During that session, I found out that Michael, when he was in school, was the “poster child” of the kind of kids we help. He lived, and continues to live, in the projects. He and his family struggle with money, and he was consistently bullied at school. Like many marginalized kids, he was at risk for becoming self destructive and addicted. But what I found was startling. Michael’s form of self-destruction was to be addicted to helping people, to being a people pleaser, and saying yes to everyone. I have never met anyone that was so humble, and wanted so much to help other people.
After our session, I gave Michael a job referral to a friend of mine who is a multi-million dollar Real Estate Marketing guru, who immediately hired Michael. Within weeks, Michael was making more money than he had ever before. But in his heart, he felt something missing, and he approached me and said he wanted to come and work with me and be mentored by me as an entrepreneur, even though I couldn’t pay him a salary. He sacrificed a well-paying, secure job that would have taken him far in terms of material gains, to volunteer with me so he could make a real difference with kids, and spare them them the path of low self esteem that he had.
Michael was completely committed to helping us spread our message of unconditional love and acceptance to kids, First Nations people, and corporations. He was willing to do anything, graphics, work the phones, help present programs; he was willing to do anything that helped us impact these kids.
I have been approached by a number of people in the past that were interested in learning everything behind my programs, and carrying on my work. Understand that I have great interview and people-reading skills received from 15 years in corporate recruiting and owning the Executive Network. I always felt like the people that approached me about being mentored, it had more to do with ego, and getting something for themselves by being the onstage persona, than from being a complete person wanting to show unconditional love and acceptance to these kids.
I immediatly recognized Michael’s unselfish, pure heart, and I began to see him as part of my legacy for my Choice Centered Leadership programs. I always knew that if anything ever happened to me, my work would stop. And I now knew that Michael would be the one, if I gave him everything I could, he could take over for me and teach others and carry on my work if anything ever happened to me, and deliver my work with the full spirit and integrity of the design and the spirit that’s behind all my work. Michael has become my protégé.
To fully understand what a giving, wonderful person Michael is, first I’m at a loss for words, but I’ll try my best. Let me tell you what he did for me recently, and some lucky at-risk kids in Winnipeg.
There is a school in Winnipeg that is 80% First Nation, and has a very large number of marginalized kids. In fact that school has a therapy building right next door where most of these kids live. Most of them have no parents, and have been to treatment centers and jail, and violent crime is rampant. Whenever there is a crime in the area, the police will almost always come to this school first to find out what who knows what from the school.
They are looking at poverty and despair with no way out. This school had been requesting our program for the past 6 years and we were able to find a foundation to fund 75% of the full curriculum of programs. For the 2 months prior to the program, which we delivered in September, Michael took it upon himself to work full time, with no experience in sales or marketing, to find some way to fund the remaining 25% for this school. While he wasn’t successful getting outside funding to make up the difference, he gave it is all. Even though he was scared being on the phone, and being confronted, he just kept on trying, right up until the day before we travelled to Winnipeg. After seeing Michaels valiant effort, I decided to make up the difference and sponsor the remaining 25% myself as an in-kind gift.
We brought Michael with us to Winnipeg to help with the program.
Now, one of the things I have found out over the many years of delivering my programs, is that I try to schedule these programs around a marathon.
There is something about running a marathon that really clears my head and puts me in the right spiritual, unconditional love and giving mindset to really impact these kids. But I had a challenge. I am not at my most fit, and I am not a great runner. and if I run a marathon with 1,000 people in it, I’m likely to be in the final 20. This marathon in Winnipeg had only about 40 runners in it, so I realized that I would be running alone for most of the race, and they had a 6-hour cutoff for the race. Running alone, I might not finish the marathon in time.
Michael realized that having me not be able to finish the marathon could have a negative affect on the program, so he insisted on doing the marathon with me side by side. Note that while Michael is a healthy young man, he is not a runner, and had not been training to run a marathon. Yet, in order to support me in giving my best program, he walked and ran the marathon with me. He didn’t even have proper shoes. He even injured his foot during the race, and he didn’t let me know about it until we got back to Toronto. He hid it from me because he didn’t want to put anything negative in my head that could affect the kids.
During the marathon, we created his keynote presentation that would introduce me. Even though he was scared to speak publicly, he was willing to do anything that would help the kids.
My program requires a minimum of 2-4 adults who are seen by the kids as part of the school community, to participate equally with kids, doing the program themselves for their own reasons.
Unfortunately, this school failed to attract the minimum of 2 adult participants required for the program’s success. So you can see how badly this program was needed.
I told Michael that we absolutely needed 2 adults, so the program was on track to fail. We wouldn’t be able to deliver the 4-week follow up program. Then I got this really creative idea. I said “what if that second adult, Michael, was you? But they have to perceive you as part of the school community. The only way I can see that happening is if I got you to do the keynote presentation, and went out to lunch with the kids the day before the program is scheduled.”
Michael was scared to death, as he’d never spoken publicly before. After the marathon, and me teaching him how to do the keynote, he spent the next day creating a new power point slide presentation to go with it. He was up all night putting it together.
Despite his lack of experience, Michael’s love for these kids, and his heartfelt desire to make a difference in their lives really shone through, and his keynote address was a huge success https://vimeo.com/74332664. For the 4 weeks following the event, Michael is playing the role of an adult community member, doing the program with the kids, so the kids can be successful.
I cannot explain just how unconditionally loving Michael is, and the incredible impact he is having on those kids’ lives.
And now, I really want Michael’s greatness to play a more public role in leading and delivering our program to a school right here in Ontario.
Michael will be running in the Run4RKids Indoor 6-hour Ultramarathon. This time we hope he’ll train [[said with a smile]] so he doesn’t get injured. He’ll be doing his first 6-hour ultra. But we need his run to mean something to the children he so badly wants to help.
What I am asking from you, is to help us raise enough money to deliver that program. It is expensive, but the impact that it has on kids’ lives is worth 100 times what it costs. I am asking you, to help me raise enough money so that Michael can step up and play the role he deserves to play in helping these kids.
Thank you very much for all your help and support.