In February last year, just a few weeks before COVID shut down all community
gatherings, a large number of friends and supporters of the Boys and Girls Club of White County gathered to celebrate some of the Club’s outstanding young participants as well as the Club’s growth and accomplishments over the past six years. On many levels, it was a very inspiring evening!
Keynote speaker for the evening was Skip Sturgeon, who, together with his wife Amy,
opened Skipper’s on North Main St. in Monticello in 2019. The shop features a delightful array of ice creams, frozen yogurts, gelatos, sorbets, and more.
But Skip wasn’t there to talk about frozen treats.
A man always looking for his next creative opportunity and way to serve, he was there to
share his thoughts on leadership, risk, change, personal legacy, and the impact each of us can make in our community – whether an eight-year-old member of the Boys and Girls Club or an eighty-year-old.
Citing some of author Tim Elmore’s motivational concepts on leadership, he posed an
interesting question: are you a thermostat or a thermometer?
Think about it. A thermostat sets the program…goal…desired outcome. A thermometer reflects the current status of things.
Some people are content to be thermometers: there’s far less risk…far less commitment. The status quo, whatever that may be, is fine.
Thermostat people, however, are different. They realize they have many different
opportunities to impact their environment – and that their commitment of passion, talent, and a willingness to take risks can make a very real and positive difference.
Whether it be in business, volunteer service, interpersonal relationships, involvement in
the community, or the design of charitable plans to touch lives for generations to come, the
passion and inspiration of a single person can, most definitely, reset a thermostat.
So are you a thermometer or a thermostat?
Skip’s challenge to the Boys and Girls Club and its guests is one for all of us: How many
thermostats can we inspire? How many can YOU inspire?
Call your community foundation at 574-583-6911 if we can help you become a
thermostat of philanthropy, growth, and progress in White County!