Value & Respect of PT and DB

Todd Marsh, Team Leader– Thomas Jefferson Ninth Grade Academy

PITW #11  Nail the Details!  Every Single One.

Excellence is all in the details.  EVERYTHING COUNTS, ALL THE TIME!

What’s a burger without a bun?  What’s the macaroni without the cheese?  What’s a printer without ink?  What’s the 9th Floor without the bathroom key?

City Year foot soldiers, I want to call our attention to Unity Rally.  Sometimes we need to regain perspective of the importance of different aspects of our City Year Culture.  Unity Rally is the constant unifying force between the Cleveland community, that has no idea what we do and our mission of making a lasting IMPRESSION on people we do not work directly with.  A place for warm greetings and hugs of corps mates we haven’t seen since last Friday.

We cannot ignore the value of Unity Rally.  We are aware it’s the end of the week.  We know the temperature has begun to drop and it’s only going to get colder.  We know that you had a challenging week!  WE ALSO KNOW THAT 50 PEOPLE DECKED OUT IN BUTTERS AND RED JACKETS STAMPED WITH CITY YEAR ON THE BACK DOING PT IN UNISON is inspirational to the community.

Short Story.  Tuesday, December 6.  Kayla and I are at Dave’s Market picking up supplies for our Leadership Ceremony.  Man walks up, “City Year,  I was homeless a few years back and used to hang around the Public Square area.  I remember you guys doing jumping jacks.”  He then proceeded to tell us how he has his own place now and is doing well for himself before directing us to the bread aisle.  10 minutes later, another man, “a bunch of City Year people used to stay up in this building around the way a few years ago” then asked what we were doing now.  I know you guys hear comments like this all the time.

My message is this;  these people know us from Unity Rally.  They don’t know what we do in the school but they know we look good at Public Square.  They recognize our presence.  A presence that City Year members in the past and future will carry on.  What type of visual presence do you want to leave?  From the PT crew, team lines,  DB leaders and audience listeners;  we have to be engaged and respectful.

It is more important than yourself.