Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Few people have embodied the spirit of community, service and leadership as well as Dr. King. He is more than just a symbol of how we should treat and serve our fellow community members. His words and life inspire millions of us throughout the year, not just on the annual holiday of honoring his legacy.
Each year on the holiday honoring Dr. King I re-read his “I Have a Dream” speech and some of his other writings. They are inspirational, and they are powerful words that serve as a barometer of how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. His dream is one we still strive to make into a daily reality for all Americans and all people across our planet.
The world has gotten better since his passing. At the same time, it has filled up with many distractions that prevent us from making our communities a priority in our lives. This is one reason why the New Tech community meets every month without fail.
Consistently I am asked whether we’ll ‘take a break’ from hosting events in June and December because it’s assumed that attendance will go down. Sometimes it does, but usually it doesn’t. Regardless, we have events consistently so that our community can come together and benefit one another. This means whether you can attend or not, you’ll know that New Tech is happening every month in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma and Portland.
The more we are active and give in our communities, including New Tech, the more we receive. Why would we take a break from that?
One of the greatest outcomes of having events in multiple PNW cities is that our cross-pollination of support is growing. Seattle and Bellevue community members have attended, sponsored and presented in Tacoma. New Tech PDX’s founder attended Seattle events for a year while we mentored him to grow their community. Members from Vancouver B.C., Olympia, Gig Harbor, Bremerton, Bellingham and beyond regularly attend New Tech events in Seattle and Tacoma.
It’s been a privilege to be a part of so many of you finding jobs, friends, co-founders, mentors and even dates through New Tech. Thank you for being active in our community to add your value to what we’re creating together.
Unlike other events, we are a community first. We are here to serve. It may sound hokey, but we’re all people trying to do our best and the more opportunities we create to connect and serve each other the more fulfilled we are. It’s good for both life and business.
Remember to judge others by the content of their character and give first to make a better community for us all.
