The 11 years I spent working for a member of Congress gave me the opportunity to help people. Sometimes it was with a Federal Agency and sometimes a project. Mostly the agency problems were a failure to communicate. The constituent didn’t understand what the agency needed, wanted or was saying. The Agency failed to listen closely enough to understand the problem. Those were pretty simple fixes.
More problematic were the projects. Everyone has a dream and they would come to the Congressional office seeking help in getting Grant money to fund their dream. One of the first things I always talked with them about was to put their dream on paper. Including a description of the project, where, when, why, etc. Then put a budget to it so we know how much it’s going to cost. And then put together a marketing plan and figure out how they would sell it. I wouldn’t help them write it, but I would talk with them and try and brainstorm where they could get the information. It was a dream job, and we completed so many projects together over the years, it was extremely rewarding. As I dig through the information files I saved I’ll try and put together a list of those most significant.
But today, the tables were turned. It isn’t my dream, but I helped write a grant request based on the dreamers business plan, marketing plan, and investment potential. Now I’m like every other grantee hopeful, when will I find out? Are we there yet? I know how much time these decisions can take, but I hadn’t hardly submitted the package and thought about checking to see if there was an answer yet. Really?
Yes, it’s a lot of work to put your dream on paper, but it’s sooooo worth it. In the meantime, I’ve been asked if there are other grant possibilities for someone else’s dream that lives here in Escalante, Ut. My response? Put your dream on paper and then let’s see what we can do. In the meantime I’m looking for money for a Historic Preservation project and a book. It’s just too much fun to charge them anything, and it’s so much fun to see their face light up when their dream comes true.
So many people have made my dreams come true over the years. It’s nice to be able to “pass it on”.
Until next time