Ripples

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn

Referencing Malcolm Gladwell’s vocabulary, Jordan Tekulve is a connector.  An alumnus of the JrLMC Class of 2005 now working as a Compliance Analyst for Alliance Data in Columbus, Jordan has already amassed an impressive and sometimes stellar list of mentors.  More importantly, he continually engages them in ways that empower him to make the most meaningful impact on his world.

“A friend of mine discussed her plans to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at a homeless shelter.  I then started to think about what I could do to help in Columbus.”

Soon he heard the story of a group of students at a school in an economically-challenged neighborhood. In spite of hurdles and challenges, these students were excelling academically. Jordan wanted to create an opportunity to encourage them in their excellence.

“I reached out to 4 friends and we brainstormed about how we could best make an impact.  It was downhill from that point.  There were in-kind and monetary donations from my circle of mentors.

The result was a catered Christmas luncheon for 48 deserving students at their school.  At the luncheon they each received a basket with food for a Christmas dinner – turkey included – as well as a blanket and a toy.

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”      John Maxwell

Junior Leadership now has over 450 alumni around the world. The ripples from our program and the pool of community leaders who make it such a precious resource are far-reaching.  Thank you, Jordan, for your influence on us all.