Original Contributors…
The OC’s! Before Three Traits For Hannah became a social media presence and website, it was just a document filled with successful people from my contacts.
Without these successful professionals as my mentors and motivators, there would be no Three Traits For Hannah.
Thank you all!
Mike Carozza and What Pros Wear
Mike’s Three Traits:
Confidence; Communication; Resilience.
The true first believer in the Three Traits Mission, my college baseball teammate Mike Carozza met with my students in 2019 to discuss his company, his beliefs, and ways they could be successful entrepreneurs. Since that time, he has been an amazing mentor to both my students and me.
Geir Gudmundsen
Geir’s Three Traits:
Adaptability; Passion; Preparation.
All-American Offensive Linemen with SUNY Albany, ex-member of the Buffalo Bills, and Director of TEST Football Academy, Geir Gudmundsen, a family friend and mentor, has not only provided my students with traits, but also guidance, love, and support to them and me since I started as an educator back in 2009.
Ryan Ruocco
Ryan’s Three Traits:
Relentless Preparation; Compassion; Focus.
ESPN and YES Network broadcaster, and summer baseball teammate of mine, Ryan Ruocco was the first person to FaceTime with my students in 2016 to share his insights, traits, and mentality on life. In the time since, he has been a Three Traits supporter and mentor to my students and me..
Paul Panik
Paul’s Three Traits:
Accountability; Persistence; Self-Drive.
Catcher at Canisius College, Head Baseball Coach at Iona, and summer baseball teammate of mine, Paul Panik’s three traits and support as a mentor for my students and myself as I worked through this Three Trait Mission, has been the foundation that Three Traits For Hannah is founded on.
Darnell Stapelton
Darnell’s Three Traits:
Self Discipline;
Resilience;
Be a Risk Taker.
Super Bowl Champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, College Football Coach at Sam Houston State, and my college football teammate at Hudson Valley Community College, Darnell’s contribution to the Three Traits Mission began way back in 2004 when he carried himself so professionally as a captain on our team, embodying everything that I wanted to pass on to my students in the future.
Joe Panik
Joe’s Three Traits:
Have attention to detail;
Never be satisfied;
Take Responsibility For Your Actions.
World Series Champion with the San Francisco Giants, and summer league teammate of mine, Joe Panik was a part of my Three Traits Mission since the inception of my time as an educator and mentor. A symbol of so many excellent traits on and off the field, Joe’s success and story has become an inspiration to a countless number of my students over the years.
Businesses and Organizations Supporting
The Three Traits Mission
TOMS
On Friday, April 17th, Amy Smith, TOMS’ Chief Giving Officer, inspired my students by sharing TOMS’ model of giving, discussing the TOMS’ change over the years, and providing feedback for my students on their original company ideas.
King Arthur Flour
Sending Carey Underwood, Director of Mission Driven Partnerships and Programs at King Arthur Flour, she spoke with my students about King Arthur Flour’s company, its mission, what distinguishes them from other flour companies, and helped the students with their own sales pitches. It was an amazingly incredible experience to have the students pick the brain of someone who has been through so much in her career. Special moment!
On Friday, April 24th, Noel Hurst, Senior Process Architect at Zappos.com, motivated my students by discussing the mindset of an entrepreneur, Zappos.com’s belief in customer service, and ways my students could make their vision statements around their “why”.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
London Reeves, Director of Alumni Development, at Boys & Girls Clubs of America joined my students on Friday, May 22nd discussing his path from attending Boys & Girls Clubs of America to working at the club’s national headquarters. While helping my students, London discussed the importance of “Go-to’s” when accomplishing a task for a business, reminding my students the importance of networking as their work their way to making their companies as successful as they can.
One of the original contributors to the Three Traits mission, Bombas agreed to send Emily Hofstetter, VP of Communications on June 5th. During her presentation, she discussed the importance of truly knowing your target audience, and being able to empathize with the community you are trying to help. Inspiring my students through her inspirational past and positive approach to learning, she reminded my students that as long as you surround yourself with a good group of people with a common goal, that there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.
The Knowledge Society
On Friday, May 1st, sparked from Noel Hurst’s suggestion, Hayley Caddes, a Director from TKS, and three students, positively influenced my students by sharing their companies, ways to give a sales pitch, and motivation for navigating life as a young student and entrepeneur.
WisePocket Products
Sofia Overton, Ceo of WisePocket Products, which appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, met on Friday, May 29th to discuss her company, her journey as a “Kidtrepeneur”, how my students can give successful sales pitches, and tips to navigating life in middle school!
On Monday, June 1st, Mike Prusininski, co-founder and president at BusyKid, met with my students to discuss his path to becoming an entrepreneur, his philosophies on running a business, and spent over an hour helping a selected group of students with their commercials, apps and websites, providing them with tips, insight and resources!
On Friday, June 12th, Ashley Larochelle, Director of Vision Activation, met with my students to discuss MegaFood, its vision and mission, its research-based approach to success, working directly with farmers to ensure they are truly living to the vision they set forth at the company. While meeting with my students, she played an alliterative game with them, asking them to imagine their target audience character, name them, provide them a backstory, and say why they feel that person is who will be a customer. So fun!
Our Celebration
of Companies!
In order to celebrate my students’ hard work and perseverance during the adversity that was the end of the 2020 school year, we held a celebration of companies, where my students shared their businesses and these amazing professionals from around the country shared their motivational stories and insight. The Ceremony of Companies ended with a lot of tears of joy and smiling faces as parents, students, administrators and professionals promoted hope resilience and kindness in a moment when everyone needed it most!
More Contributors!
Doing Good Works
Seeing The Three Traits Mission on social media, Doing Good Works is sending my students 100 Be Kind t-shirts!
AwesomismMom
In order to help the Three Traits Mission, AwesomismMom has agreed to help me grow my business through Flipboard.