I recently had the pleasure of co-presenting with my wife, Amanda, at the annual Medical Exercise Training Institute Summit in Houston, Texas. We were selected to present because of Amanda’s ability to grow multiple successful Medical Exercise practices, and for my expertise in business development. Our topic was “How to be recognized as a leader in the Medical Exercise Industry.”
After three months of culling through research, best practices, and wisdom gained from the field, we distilled our curriculum down to a 6- section presentation over two days. I’d like to share with you one of the key elements we introduced to the attendees: The importance of integrating stewardship into your business.
The concept of stewardship evokes the idea of inheriting a piece of land and taking on the responsibility of caring for it, preserving it for future generations, and hopefully leaving it in better shape than you found it. I would like to focus on one particular facet of this concept, and ask you to explore the following question:
How is your business improving the quality of life within the community it serves?
A great first step when exploring this question would be to find a worthy individual for whom you’d be happy to provide pro bono work. Perhaps you could go a step further and create a scholarship program, which, in turn, could service entire groups of people. For the sake of broadening your idea of how far one can take this concept, I want to share a personal story of the actions of one man, and how he improved the lives of countless individuals in his community.
My father, Dr. Chuck Harris, has been practicing dentistry for over 55 years, and truly enjoys volunteering and giving back to the public. A few years ago, he decided to participate in an effort called the Missions of Mercy projects (MOM projects). These are free, mobile dental clinics that service people in need for a few days of each year in various locations throughout Virginia. He worked side by side for a day and a half with a handful of other dentists who came from as far away as North Carolina. By the end of the event on the Eastern Shore of VA , they had serviced over 400 folks in dire need of extractions, dentures, cleanings, and general oral care. My father was deeply moved and inspired to see how his generosity improved these people’s lives for the better. This eventually led him to coordinate a MOM event in his own home town of Gloucester, VA.
He went straight to work on it, and in 2010 after a year of developing a plan to serve large numbers of people, he landed a huge venue for the event, Gloucester High School. He then coordinated and recruited scores of other healthcare providers to join him, including dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, pharmacists, EMS workers, and an army of non-medical personnel to handle paperwork and transport patients to and from the dental treatment stations. He even managed to get the word out about the project through local radio stations who generously donated air time.
Amanda and I, and many other family members, volunteered to participate in the event, and had the privilege of witnessing, firsthand, the impact of my father’s work. By the end of this massive two-day undertaking, over 500 people had received free dental care.
Dad spearheaded this program in our hometown for three years, and received the Heroes in Healthcare Award as an acknowledgment of his efforts.
This story illustrates the ripple effect of how one individual can improve the quality of life within the community he served. His motivation was humble—to simply give back to the town where he lived—a way to repay it for providing a means of supporting his own family for so many years.
I realize when this article is posted, we will be in the midst of the holiday season, and looking forward to a prosperous new year. Take a moment to consider how you might leave a legacy of kindness and goodwill in the community of which you are a part.
