As a keynote speaker and the Founder and Chief Executive of Impact100 Global, I travel a lot for my work. Most of that travel is by airplane. In our post 9/11 world, TSA checkpoints dominate most airport experiences and I find myself emptying my pockets, and removing my shoes, jacket, and belt on my way to the gate.
Once on the other side, I gather my belongings and try to quickly put them back where they belong while looking for a safe spot to refasten my boots. It was at that moment, on a recent trip home after visiting Impact100 Greater Milwaukee, when I looked up and saw a sign at the end of the TSA Line.
It read Recombobulation Area. I had to laugh! Instantly understanding what it meant. We are discombobulated after going through a security checkpoint and this is the place to REcombobulate.
As I gathered my belongings, refastening my boots and glancing at that sign, it struck me – our world mirrors this discombobulated state. Everything seems mixed up, unpredictable, and out of order.
The discouraging trends of our times demand a recommitment to generosity as a powerful lever for change. This conviction led me to create Impact100 in 2001, a collective giving model designed to democratize philanthropy. Women from diverse backgrounds unite, pooling $1,000 each to make a significant impact on their local communities.
The beauty lies in the equality of voices during grant review processes. Diverse groups of women, with varied priorities and lived experiences, come together to discuss and debate grant applications. It’s a celebration of differences, turning them into a superpower to identify and support the best solutions to pressing community issues.
In the Recombobulation Area for Generosity, let’s celebrate the differences in giving priorities and style between men and women, across generations. Instead of seeing these differences as divisive, let’s embrace them as a strength. By bringing multiple generations and genders together, we deepen relationships and grow as a collective force for good.
So, as we stand on the brink of a discombobulated world, let’s heed the wisdom of the TSA sign. Let’s enter the Recombobulation Area for Generosity – a space where we restore order, celebrate differences, and actively work towards positive change. In giving together, we not only transform our communities but also leave a legacy that redefines our disoriented world, one act of generosity at a time