This session focused on three social entrepreneurs who are using their companies to make a difference in the world.

SETH FLAXMAN–Democracy Works

Seth created a voting app that increases voter turnout and focuses on educating people who they are voting for, not just how to vote. They develop alliances with colleges and other organizations.

They have raised over $15M already on their way to a $20M round of financing. As a non-profit entity, they earn money from for profits, with approximately 1/3 of their money coming from partnerships. The balance is split between individuals and other foundations.

They are a source of all polling place data to help people find out where to vote and want to be part of the evolution of the foundation of trust.

MICAELA CONNERY–The Kelsey

Perhaps the most impressive speaker of any of the Chicago Ideas Week sessions we attended was Micaela Connery. Her mastery of the topic and her ability to articulate her vision and achievements set her well above even much more accomplished speakers.

The Kelsey creates housing for people with developmental disabilities. The challenge most of the 6.1 million developmental disabled people looking for housing are the issues of affordability, accessibility and inclusivity. She spends her time organizing the process and securing funding for new projects. Typically, she has found that it is more efficient to build new units than to retrofit older units. In each development, she targets the following distribution of units:

• 25% at market rate
• 25% for workforce/middle income housing
• 25% for affordable housing
• 25% for residents with developmental disabilities

Micaela emphasized how underserved this market is and that most of the residents want to live in integrated housing. She feels that those with developmental disabilities are completely left out of the housing discussion. She thinks this is an important role of philanthropy because it allows someone to push the envelope and take risks that others will not take.

JASON KANG–Kinnos

Jason’s product helps prevent infections in hospitals by “highlighting” areas that haven’t been properly cleaned because his products turn the cleaned area blue for a few seconds. The statistics are staggering when you look at the fact that 1 in 25 people in a hospital get an infection and there have been 99,000 deaths which most of us would classify as a preventable death.

As with all start-ups, Jason talks about the struggle of how to make the company sustainable and how to develop the relationship that are needed to make the organization successful.

Many of you who know me well have had the opportunity to meet my sister, Sharon.  She recently celebrated her 50^th Birthday, and I was given the privilege of making a speech to honor her.  I decided that the best way I could pay tribute to her was to talk about the many life lessons that she has taught me.

My parents put together a fantastic event that was held on March 3, 2019 at Union South.  The facility was a great setting and there was plenty of space for the large crowd.  Throughout her life, Sharon has touched so many people and interacted with so many members of the Madison community.  She has been mainstreamed from an early age and was one of the first children to be integrated into a regular high school, participate in Camp Shalom as a camper, attend Beth Israel Hebrew School as a student and serve as a counselor at Camp Shalom. 

Her positive disposition is infectious and her glowing attitude bring warmth and energy to everyone around her.  As I said in my speech, she has probably taught me more than anyone else in my life.

And as I looked around the room throughout the day, it was apparent that Sharon has taught many of our friends these same lessons. 

Sharon had such a terrific time at the party.  She had a huge smile all day (and the whole week leading up to the party).  You could hear her laughing across the room and see her teasing various people throughout the afternoon.  She welcomed people for so many parts of her life:  Very Special Arts, Job Coaches, YMCA, Shorewood Hills, Beth Israel, Camp Shalom, Memorial High School and many family friends.  The morning after the party, Sharon woke up and told my parents what a great time she had.

I did my best to capture Sharon’s essence in the brief time I had to speak and it was rewarding to have so many people ask for copies of the speech and/or the video.  Sharon is a very special person and has a unique disposition.  The 25 Lessons that I spoke about are really only the tip of the iceberg.  Sharon has taught our whole family so much about kindness, graciousness and perseverance.  There is truly no way to capture all of her remarkable spirit in just a few minutes.

If you would like to read the 25 Life Lessons I Learned from Sharon, please click below and you will get the full text of the speech that I wrote. In the videos, you can also see Sharon’s love, excitement and her infectious smile.  I hope that you will take a few minutes to watch. I think you will learn something yourself.

Text of Roy Kessel Speech, 25 Life Lessons I Learned from Sharon

VIDEOS FROM SHARON’S PARTY

• Merle and Jerry Sternberg presenting portrait to Sharon
• Les Mirkin Speech, Parts 1 and 2
• Raymond Kessel Speech
• Everyone singing Happy Birthday to Sharon
• Sharon’s speech thanking people and telling everyone to each cake

If you did not get the opportunity to join our family for this special occasion, I hope that you enjoy these photos and that you take the time to watch the videos of the speeches and presentations.

And here are some special videos made by our relatives in Israel:

• Dudley Kessel Family singing Happy Birthday to Sharon
• Colin Kessel Family sings Happy Birthday to Sharon

PHOTOS FROM SHARON’S PARTY

SHARON KESSEL 50TH BIRTHDAY PHOTO PAGE

It is great to see all of you here today.  You have all been a part of watching Sharon grow up.  You have seen her in many aspects of her life.  Sharon wanted me to give a speech here and I thought that the best way that I could pay tribute to her, would be to share with you the lessons that I have learned from Sharon during my lifetime.  I have probably learned more from Sharon, than from anyone else in my life.

So without further ado, here are the Top 25 Lessons I have learned from Sharon:

1. Love your parents
   • Sharon’s love for our parents has been constant.  She doesn’t like it if they fight or argue, but she plays mediator.  And more often than not, they agree that she was right.  She adores her Dad and wants him in many situations. But when she is really sad or hurt, then she turns to her Mom.  She has learned so much from each of them and she has taught them many of these same lessons that I am about to share with you.
2. Smile
   • Sharon has an infectious smile.  Smiling helps all of us feel better, and Sharon does it often. Her smile makes everyone feel welcome.
3. Laugh
   • Her laugh is contagious.  Sharon has a great sense of humor and her laughter warms the room.
4. Remember people
   • Sharon has an amazing memory.  She has worked and interacted with so many people in the community.  If she has met you once or twice, she will probably remember you.  If she has shared a meal with you, she will NEVER forget you.   Her uncle Jerrold used call her Google.
5. Keep your sense of humor
   • Sharon has a terrific sense of humor. Though her disability may impact some areas of her life, she has an incredible ability to know when people are joking.  She can laugh at herself, her brother, her Dad, her Mom and everyone around her.  She enjoys being teased, and she likes to tease back.
6. Enjoy life
   • Many of us rush through life and don’t take the time to observe the small things.  Sharon frequently notices and expresses her appreciation for them.  A pretty flower, a nice painting or an animal walking by.
7. Try your best
   • Sharon has had plenty of struggles in her life.  But she keeps trying. She does her best. 
8. Accept differences
   • Sharon doesn’t see disability, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. She sees kindness. She notices how people treat her and how they treat others.
9. Have your own TV
   • In today’s world that probably means having your own phone.  But throughout her life, TV was a very important way for Sharon to entertain herself.  She has an uncanny ability to know exactly what shows are on.  Despite her difficulty with fine motor skills, Sharon could dial thru the old cable boxes and tune in to exactly which show she wanted.  I Love Lucy, Golden Girls and Andy Griffith were among the favorites.   She also learned so much about items at the supermarket?  From the TV commercials, she could name most of the brands in the store and virtually any restaurant you drove by.  Just don’t ask her to let you put on football, golf or any other sport J
10. Pay attention to what’s around you
    • Sharon is very observant.  She notices the little things.  Sometimes, even if you don’t want her to.
11. Participation is more important than winning
    • Sharon loved participating in the Special Olympics.  She ran the 50 yard dash and participated in the softball throw.  But she loved participating in all kinds of activities. She would play baseball with us outside and loved to pitch the ball. She played cricket with her cousins in Israel. She played ball with the dogs.  She thrived on the enjoyment of participation.
12. Say you’re sorry
    • Few of us properly apologize.  We all make mistakes. We all get upset. Sometimes we are right. Sometimes we are wrong.  But Sharon has a great sense of her own behavior and will come up to us later and apologize, sometimes even when she was justified in being upset in the first place. 
13. Sleep whenever you are tired
    • Most of us get cranky when we are tired.  But we don’t go take the nap we might need.  Sharon has no qualms about getting a bit of rest when she needs it.  And you see her wake up refreshed and usually she is perfectly happy to just pop up and get right back to whatever activities are planned next.
14. Demand your private time
    • Sharon is very comfortable going off on her own.  She goes to watch TV to take a break or when she just needs a bit of space for herself.
15. Know yourself
    • So many of us are reluctant to ask for what we need.  She knows herself well.  If she is upset or anxious or stressed, just will often say Me go calm down for 2 minutes”.  Sometimes it is 1 minute, sometimes it is 5.  But she knows herself. And that strategy would probably serve most of us well.
16. Perseverance
    • In his famous speech that launched the ESPY awards, Jim Valvano said Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”   Sharon exemplifies this trait.  She has faced so many obstacles.  But she always kept trying.  My parents were told that she would never walk, she would never talk and she would never be toilet trained.  She did all of those before she was 5 years old.  She keeps trying things that are difficult. She likes to feel the satisfaction of accomplishment.
17. Enjoy your food, often
    • If you have ever been with Sharon, you know she enjoys her food.  All types.  Gourmet dishes to fast food.  Pizza to chicken to brisket.  And like me, especially dessert!!
18. Enjoy nature
    • Sharon loves spending time outside. One of her great pleasures is taking a walk around the school grounds.  Unless it is really cold, she will go out a few times each day and take a lap around the school.  She watches the kids play, she enjoys the fresh air and in her own way, that counts as her exercise.
19. Color outside the lines
    • You don’t have to follow the normal expectations.  DO what makes you happy. Color outside of the lines. Sharon has always been willing to be different and to express her desires to be different.
20. Be nice to everyone
    • Sharon is never malicious.  She is always nice to everyone by default.  She cheers people up, she engages them and she thanks them.  And her demeanor makes people feel good. If we all behaved this way, the world would be a better and happier place.
21. Play
    • So many scientific studies now have found how crucial play is in our development and in our happiness.  It brings joy, stress relief, lowers blood pressure, and relieves anxiety.  Most of us don’t play enough after our childhood years.  Sharon does it every day. Whether it is playing Uno by herself, playing with the dogs and being mean to her brother by making me DRAW FOUR in Uno, Sharon loves to play games.
22. Be generous
    • Generosity can be defined so many ways.  Sharon’s generous spirits covers so many different components of generosity it is hard to define here.
23. Consider others
    • When Chantal and I were buying our house in Buffalo Grove and contemplating whether or not we could afford the place, we were sitting at a Baskin Robbins. Sharon stopped eating her ice cream, got a worried look on her face and started digging in her purse.  We didn’t know what she was doing.  She pulled out the change she had from her job and a couple crumpled up dollar bills.  She proudly said I have money, me help you buy house.”
24. Sing Out Loud
    • Sharon is not shy about singing in person.  Most of us only open up our voices in the shower because we are ashamed or don’t think we sound good enough.  Sharon is happy to sing anywhere because singing makes HER happy.  She has enjoyed signing in her Very Special Arts Choir. They sing at Hilldale.  They sing at Badger games.  They sing at the Overture Center.  And the billboard you see on the side over there, clearly illustrates so many of these traits that you are hearing about.
25. Treasure your birthday
    • We all have a birthDAY.   Sharon has a birth-MONTH.  February.  She celebrates all month long and loves the attention that she receives.  Fortunately for her, with her birthday on the 27^th, she gets almost the full month of celebration.  And she is so HAPPY that you are ALL here to celebrate with her

So as we celebrate today, I encourage each of you to take these lessons to heart, and try to implement one or two of them in your life in Sharon’s honor.  I am willing to bet you will be thankful to her for these lessons.

Here is the video from the last few minutes of my speech

Here are two links for more details about Sharon’s party:

• Article about the party and more videos
• Page of photos from the party