Next Steps for the Riley’s

After being unemployed since January 20^th, my wife has decided to go back to school to obtain her Masters in Counseling, and it looks like she will be attending the Denver Theological Seminary this fall.  Right around the same time that she knew she would be going back to school, I was contacted by a friend of mine who heard the news about my wife and ended up offering me a position to work in his company as the Sales Director for the west coast.  I accepted the position and will be selling the company’s product (which is a system that sets-up a Medicare prescription program at hospitals) in four states which include Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington, and my home office will be in Denver. 

I have submitted my resignation to the Red Cross, and my last day with the organization will be Friday, June 26^th.  After being with the Red Cross since 2005, I am leaving with many mixed emotions as I have been blessed with great colleagues, managers, mentors and projects.  The Red Cross has a great mission, and I am honored that I was able to work in this organization for the past four years. I’ll be starting my new job on the 29^th and in New Jersey for training until Ashley and I move at the end of August.

Both my wife and I are really excited yet somewhat nervous about the next steps in our lives.  We love D.C., our church and our east coast community that surrounds and supports us.  Leaving this place will be very difficult as we fell in love in this city and continue to be surrounded by incredible friends and family, but we also know a new and exciting adventure is in front of us.

What We Can Learn from Clorox Bleach’s “Save the Frog” Campaign

If you go to the Clorox Bleach website you will find a tab at the top of the page that says “Our Story”. When you click on the link you’ll find that Clorox bleach has rich history spanning almost 100 years, self-proclaims itself the “Miracle in a Bottle”, and is doing philanthropic work by “Rebuilding Hattiesburg” and “Helping to Save the Frog”. 

Everywhere we look companies are showing their goodwill and talking about their past and future plans. Target is touting the news that it recently gave away $3 million to a variety of charities. GM says that I can have “total confidence” in the company because it has a long record of selling affording vehicles to Americans. And Dell is giving money away to support education and information technology in developing countries. 

Companies tell these stories for a lot of reasons. Stories connect people to their past, and companies are able to share what products, services and philanthropic efforts they currently (and will) offer down the road. For the most part, people like hearing these stories. There’s a level of authenticity and trust that I can have in the company because I know the company’s purpose. 

What initially brought on these thoughts was a good friend of my wife and mine who asked us: What are you and Ashley going to be about as a couple? 

At that point, we had the opportunity to share our story. We could have talked about the ways that we’ve been formed, shaped and molded to be the individuals and couple we are today. And we could have told our current and future plans for our careers, family and community. But, very truthfully, silence reigned because these ideas weren’t in the forefront of our minds. 

Since that point, we’ve tried to do what many companies have done and decided what “what products, services and philanthropic efforts we currently (and will) offer down the road”. Translating this to non-corporate language, we’ve been thinking about type of people we want to become, what kinds of careers and activities we want to (and don’t want to) be a part of, and who will be receiving our time, resources and money. 

We feel that we’re ready when asked: What are you and Ashley going to be about as a couple? And hopefully, a level of authenticity and trust will emerge after being asked.