“Impact Venture Capitalists!”

Morning Team…

We’re getting better on delivery. Last week it was Sunday, as I was traveling. This week its Saturday. Next week we’ll be back to Friday. The good news? Impact Club Boise and Eugene launched without a hitch. Together, Impact Venture Capitalists donated $16,500 to two local charities.

From Bea Black, winner in Boise (for Women’s & Children’s Alliance):

“Thank you both for the privilege of being able to present at the first ever Boise Impact Club. It was such an honor to be chosen, and to also then win was very humbling. The donation will help us make such a difference in the lives of a family fleeing an abusive household and for that we are extremely grateful.

I know how much work it takes to start something new, and also how much work it takes just to put on an event like this – so kudos to you and your respective teams for pulling this off in such a great way. I am very excited to see the resulting video [the documentary-short that Impact Club creates for each event and speaker] and look forward to impacting even more lives by being able to share this video gift as well. Wishing you both a great week and continued success, as you expand this model throughout the country and our community!

Hugs, Bea

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Thank you Bea. We all applaud the work you’re doing. So many great local charities, supported by Impact Club, fighting for what’s right and just. And for the families and victims that are affected.

Please. All of you. Keep up the fight.

On that note, after the Leaderboard updates, I want to share a write-up with you from Kevin Evers – who is bringing Impact Club to The Fox Cities in Wisconsin. His reason for doing so, beautifully expressed.

The 3 Words That Changed His Life – His incredible story!

(PS: Impact Club – because of you all, and our willingness to come through on our commitment of $100/per quarter – together, we have passed the $100K donation mark per quarter. That’s over $400K per year. Amazing!)

Upcoming Impact Club Events:

June 12th – Impact Club Fox Cities

June 27th – Impact Club Union City

June 29th – Impact Club Yuma (2nd Event)

July 11th – TBA

July 12th – Impact Club Northern VA (3rd Event)

July 13th – TBA

The 3 Words That Changed My Life

The story below is from Kevin Evers, co-founder, Impact Club Fox Cities.

Some folks in his community were Skeptical – so, to put that skepticism to rest and to convey his reasons for bringing Impact Club to his community, he shared a deeply personal story. Enjoy….

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By Kevin Evers

That picture says it all…

This past week, I got asked a couple of the same questions over and over again, “Why are you doing this?” “Why are you paying for all of the expenses and administrative fees for Impact Club™?”

For one, the biggest misconception has been that a portion of each $100 donation is siphoned off the top to cover expenses. It is simply not true.

I understand the skepticism. I won’t name names, but I’m sure you can think of a handful of charities that have CEOs making over $1 million a year.

That doesn’t apply here, though. Impact Club™ isn’t a non-profit. It isn’t a charity. We don’t even have a bank account. All members donate their money directly to the charity.

Impact Club™ is merely a platform to connect willing donors to local charities. To bring together the people in this area who want to step up and make a difference in our community.

So who is paying all of the expenses to get this up and running? I am.

To date, I have invested about $3,800 towards starting the Fox Cities chapter of Impact Club™. Most of the up-front expenses are included in that. With proper planning, I should be able to keep it under $4,000 by the time we get to our event on June 12th. It may seem like a lot to some, but to me, it is money well spent. Let me explain.

To truly understand why I am so passionate about this organization, it is important to learn why I got involved with it in the first place.

For me, it all started back in 2015. My wife and I found out we were expecting our first child. We were both looking forward to becoming parents. We bought baby clothes. We painted the nursery. I got multiple blisters putting the crib and dresser together using that tiny allen wrench they give you. All of those fun and exciting “new parent” activities.

Then, about half way through the pregnancy, we got some tragic news.

It was July 29th, 2015. My wife and I were sitting in a darkened ultrasound room, sitting across from a doctor that we had just met a few minutes earlier.

Out of nowhere, she said 3 words that would forever change my life.

“Incompatible with life”

I had never heard the phrase before so it took me a few seconds to even comprehend what she was trying to tell me. Seeing the confusion on our faces, she clarified, “the chances of your son surviving birth are very, very slim.”

With 3 months until he was due to be born, we had a choice to make. The doctors kept suggesting we terminate the pregnancy early. That option didn’t sit well with either of us.

For us, the decision was easy. We were going to see the pregnancy through to the end and give this little baby every chance we could.

With our time limited, we made the most of it. I spent less time focused on business and spent more time with my family and friends. The three of us went to just about every event you could imagine together, a Packers game, a Brewers game, a Badgers game, countless fairs and festivals. You name it, we did it. It was exhausting, but it was worth every minute.

Noah was born on October 24th and eight and a half hours later, he passed away.

To me, the 87 days we spend together after getting the tragic news were the greatest 87 days of my life. They provided me with much needed perspective. As I sit here today, I know that I have already lived the worst day of my life. I wake up each morning knowing that no matter what life throws at me, I can handle it.

In those 87 days, Noah’s story, his fight for life, and his refusal to give up inspired countless people. Most of all, he inspired me. He inspired me to be a better person. To be a better husband, a better father, a better friend. He inspired me to give back. To put other’s needs ahead of my own. To put myself out there and try new things. To live life to the fullest.

I set out to honor his legacy. I wanted to inspire others the same way that he inspired me. If I could just inspire one other person, maybe they could inspire another, and another, and another. Over time, we could create a chain of inspiration. A chain that would get stronger and stronger with each additional link.

I spent a year searching for a way to accomplish this. Admittedly, it was no easy feat, but I wasn’t about to give up.

Last October, while meeting with a group of friends from around the country, we started brainstorming ideas for how we could give back.

Trapped inside of a house in Orlando with Hurricane Matthew headed straight towards us, we got to work and began putting the pieces together. As the hurricane began to move off shore, we had the structure in place for what has become Impact Club™.

A couple months ago, I was given the chance to launch our local chapter. It was my first chance to really take a leap. To take a risk. To inspire others. To truly honor Noah’s legacy. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity.

I understood that it would take a big investment of time and money on my part to get it up and running, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

These past 3 weeks, I have met some truly amazing people, people that I might not have met under normal circumstances. Just meeting these people has made my early sacrifices worth it. I can only imagine how it will feel in a week and a half when we present the check to the winning charity.

I set out with a goal of 100 members. It is a goal that we should not have a problem hitting. I know there are well over 100 people in this area that are willing to step up and help make an impact. The true challenge has been spreading the message and reaching these people.

In the end, it is Noah’s gift of perspective that will keep me motivated to keep fighting for this cause. Even at 50 members, we still have 49 members more than we started with. And I beg you to find me a charity that wouldn’t love to receive a $5,000 donation on June 12th – Fox Cities launch date.

We are 10 days away from that first event. What do you say, do you think we can make it $10,000?

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Trust me when I say, I have vetted my co-founders for extreme character. You will not find a more sincere or authentic person than Kevin. I am beyond proud of his strength and for the work he’s doing to inspire others.

From every tragedy – is the chance for a Leader to be born.

We find our strength in the darkest times.

Keep up the fight,

KEEP INSPIRING OTHERS!

By the end of 2017, we will have raised millions to fund local charities.

-Ryan Fletcher

Co-Founder, Impact Club – forever Grateful.

PS: Encourage everyone you know to learn the Language of Story. If they do, life, business, fundraising, relationships, the attraction of opportunity, clients, money, love, etc. will be much easier for them.