There are some organizations that you become a part of that leave a lasting impact on your life. In recognition of pride month, I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to mention an organization that served as a significant chapter to my life. In this organization is the miracle of love, Inc.
It still amazes me how I managed to become affiliated. In 2006, I was a young associate in a law firm and I was looking for opportunities to be active in various communities with the sole purpose of trying to find future clients.
During my search, Hilda, one of my classmates from law school and a Human Resource Director for a 501(c)(3), HIV/AID Service Organization in Orlando, Florida called the ‘Miracle of Love, Inc.’(https://miracleofloveinc.org/), called and asked if I would be interested in serving on the Miracle of Love Board of Director. The focus of the organization was to provide services for those affected by HIV and AIDS with an emphasis on African American and Hispanic American men.
I was a little apprehensive to accept her invitation to serve on the board of directors. At that time, I had only served on one or two board of directors so my experience was fairly limited. However, Hilda emphasized the need to have professionals on the board. So, I decided I would accept the offer to join and, in 2006, I became a member of the Board of Directors.
At the time, I had no idea how serving on the board of directors would advance my professional goals but it was a small organization and it was referred to by a good friend so I did not see the downside in participating.
What I didn’t know at the time and I had no idea at the time was the fact that I would go on to be a member of this board for almost 11 years.
During that 11 year journey, it truly became a journey of love. I served as Board Secretary for almost 10 years. I had the opportunity to watch the organization grow in terms of number of employees as well as revenue. I learned a great deal of information about various programs that affect the LGBTQ community which included RYAN WHITE program as well as HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS). I learned the difference between restricted funds and unrestricted funds with regards to fundraising. My wife joined me and she would go on to become board chair for a couple years.
During my 11 year run, the board underwent several significant transformations but the one continuity during that time period with me.
When asked how I managed to be a member for so long, I often stressed that it was important for the board to maintain some measure of continuity. There were times when the required number of board members got particularly low. As such, I really wanted to ensure that the organization always maintained its current infrastructure.
Looking back, I have to say that serving as a board member was an extremely fulfilling endeavor. It really warmed my heart to see all of the effort that was being done. I have developed a huge appreciation for all of the grassroots efforts that organizations like this had to do in order to serve the community they were serving. I made a point to go to as many meetings, events (i.e. still amazed by the woman who did a cartwheel into the splits while wearing stiletto pumps and performing to Janet Jackson’s “Feedback”) and interactions as possible so that I can ensure that I have a proper education about the organization that I was serving.
And I can honestly say if I hadn’t relocated to a different state, I’m not sure when I planned on stepping away from being a board member. To this date, I have served on other boards but there has not been one organization that I have served in that capacity that even matches the time I served as a board member for the miracle of life.
So in recognition of pride month, I would encourage any and all persons to tip their hat to all of the grass roots, nonprofit, and dedicated service organizations that put in the work to ensure that a valued population is being served effectively.
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