What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. – James 2:14-17

Today I want to give a shout-out to the Lonnie & Carol Poole Family Foundation. The Poole family, rather than sit on and bask in the financial benefits of a lifetime of hard work and success in business, generously fund their foundation with the resources to do a considerable amount of ongoing good throughout the greater Raleigh area.

Much of the foundation’s charitable work is quiet, discreet and under the radar, meeting needs and helping out in ways that tend not to generate flashy publicity (like funding a massive plumbing project at the Frankie Lemon School). This is essential support that goes largely without fanfare.

Then there are the opportunities to sponsor events that also help to raise public awareness, and that is where people like me come in. In that regard I have been privileged to represent the Poole Family Foundation at a half-dozen or more golf tournaments over the past few years and I am always grateful for the opportunity.

So yesterday some friends and I drove over to the Wakefield Plantation Golf & Country Club in Wake Forest to participate in the “We Care Golf Classic.” The event, hosted by the Wakefield Senior Men’s Golf Association (WSMGA) benefits The Soldiers & Airmen Assistance Fund, the USO, Purple Heart Homes, The Joel Fund and the WSMGA Scholarship Fund.

All I had to do was round up a team and enjoy a spectacular fall day on one of the best golf courses in the area. What the Poole Family Foundation did was to write another generous check.

70-degrees, sunshine, fresh air, a beautifully maintained golf course, gracious hospitality, good food, the company of my friends Keith, Jerome and Chauncey plus our add-on military partipant, Monty.

Win-Win:

The above scenario is the perfect definition of “win-win.” It’s a win for the We Care benefit event, it’s a win for the generous heart of the Poole family, it’s a win for the military families We Care supports, it’s a win for the good people who hosted the tournament, it’s a win for the community.

And it’s an epic win for someone like me who is such a fan of witnessing goodness played out on the public stage.

This is exactly the kind of initiative that is going to help to bring us back together, y’all. I’m talking about public-spirited goodwill and generosity that is not only practiced but celebrated. I am convinced that everyone involved is a better person – and hopefully a more generous person – for the experience.

That, good friends at the Poole Family Foundation, is what next-level generosity looks like. Leadership Goodness like yours spills over.

Look for the ripples. – DEREK