Keep Going and Going

Energizer Batteries has taken a page from its cute pink bunny who keeps going and going. They decided people who keep going deserve rewards. This year the ten Energizer® Keep Going® Hall of Fame finalists include people with disabilities who are definitely not disabled.

Here's the story: Energizer Holdings is a consumer goods company specializing in portable power -- batteries. We all know about the Energizer battery and its icon, the persistent, determined pink bunny beating the bass drum. Energizer thought it would be a good idea to highlight people with the same "persevering, never-quit spirit" as the bunny. In 2006, they started a search for people who are as remarkable as the ever-going pink bunny and decided to showcase them in a hall of fame.

The ten 2008 Energizer® Keep Going® Hall of Fame finalists include ten remarkable people:

• Ironman athlete
• Bone marrow donor fund raiser
• Autism educator
• Inner city concert violinist organizer
• Violence prevention advocate
• Crossing guard neighborhood activist
• Educator extraodinaire
• Breast and testicular cancer advocate
• Foster care children advocate
• Motivational speaker

Read their stories to see how remarkable they actually are. The group includes two amputees, a young leukemia patient, the mother of an autistic child, and others who saw situations that needed improvement and stepped up to the task.

I first learned of this award when I read Ron's story in the current issue of Amigo Mobility's newsletter Friendly Wheels. His positive attitude grew from his parents' words: "What happens to you is not important; how you handle it is."

That same attitude is echoed throughout the finalists' stories. When they saw a need, each did something to answer the problem, making a difference across the nation or close to home.

One woman saw gang violence in her neighborhood and built violence prevention programs that reach over 45,000 youths. A crossing guard ensures the kids in her neighborhood are safe and that they each feel important. A young boy saw a need for bone marrow donors and raised awareness -- and funds -- by using his bald head for advertising. The mother of an autistic child found her art was helping her daughter communicate, so she now uses it to educate and spread awareness about autism. A young woman who grew up in the foster care system is now focusing on improving that system. The first double-amputee to finish the Ironman triathlon with prosthetics started a foundation to help and educate wounded soldiers and challenged athletes.

There are so many stories, and each of them is awe-inspiring. These remarkable people show what can be accomplished with the right attitude. They saw something that could be better and did what they could to make the world a better place.

Read their stories and vote once a day for your favorite hero. Each vote cast provides $1 to the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation to introduce underprivileged kids to baseball. Then,decide to be the best person you can be. You may start a global movement for change or you may show other people how to reach for the best they can be. If you touch a million people, a thousand people, or just the teenager next door, you have done your part. Send your own personal Keep Going Award sanctioned by the bunny himself. That one little effort may be the thing that inspires others to keep going.