Better Together: How 30 Days of Service Changed My Life

BETTER

TOGETHER

How 30 Days of Service

Changed My Life

Alex Quian

Greg Weatherford II

©  2021 by Alex Quian and Greg Weatherford II

Published by Base Camp Press™

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise - without prior written permission of the publisher or authors, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Cover art was created by Angelina Bambina, used under license from iStock.

First Edition

ISBN: 978-0-578-88199-7

Better Together Foundation

P.O. Box #701022

Dallas, Texas 75370

Learn about the Better Together Foundation

www.allbettertogether.org

Check out the Mentor Moments podcast

www.mymentormoments.org

About the Authors

Alex Quian

Alex Quian grew up in The Colony, Texas, a small suburb of Dallas. He graduated from Cornell University in 2019, where he studied Information Science.

The summer after his senior year of high school, Alex was selected to participate in an entrepreneurial and social impact internship led by Greg Weatherford II, who is now his mentor. What was only supposed to be a three-month internship turned into a transformative four-year learning experience. During this time, Alex had the opportunity to be exposed to and learn from professional experiences such as entrepreneurship, project management, business development, hiring and onboarding, youth development, and much more.

Alex’s life was forever changed in spring 2019 when he asked Greg to suggest ways that he could serve his home community. In response, he challenged Alex to complete 30 different service projects in 30 days, and he accepted.

From July 1st to July 31st, 2019, Alex completed 30 different service projects, impacted over 1,800 people, and worked with more than 20 different organizations.

Inspired by this experience, he then went on to co-found the Better Together Foundation, a DFW-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Motivated to support the holistic development of youth, Alex spends much of his time creating initiatives and experiential programs to enrich youth in the areas of entrepreneurism, lifelong learning, physical and mental wellness, service-learning, and professionalism.

Examples of initiatives Alex has created include the Let’s Thrive Now campaign (launched in April 2020) and the Mentor Moments podcast (launched in September 2020).

Let’s Thrive Now was a website where young adults could access valuable, free resources to help them navigate the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mentor Moments is a podcast launched to provide young adults with the opportunity to learn from executives and leaders who they may otherwise never have had access to, especially with the loss of internship opportunities due to COVID-19.

The podcast has featured executives like Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Dolf Berle, CEO of Topgolf, Arjun Dugal, CTO of Capital One, and more.

If you are interested in contacting Alex, please send an email to [email protected].

Greg Weatherford II

From a young age, Greg has been inspired to serve his community. In 2002 when he was 12 years old, his love for helping others led him to found his first nonprofit, Young People Who Care. This organization focused on empowering other young people to create service-learning projects and discover the transformative power of giving back. Over six years, the nonprofit completed hundreds of service projects and mobilized thousands of youth across the country to serve their communities.

Greg was fortunate to have his work recognized by groups such as the United States House of Representatives, the Department of Education, Best Buy, Coca-Cola, State Farm, Prudential Financial, America’s Promise Alliance, Apple Orthodontics, and the Dallas Mavericks. 

Because of Greg’s work with Young People Who Care, in 2008 he was selected to The State Farm Youth Advisory Board (SFYAB). This was an innovative philanthropic initiative that allocated $5 million annually to a national board of students to oversee a grantmaking program. Each year, the board evaluated funding requests from nonprofits and issued grants to organizations.

Around this time, Greg realized his experiences launching a nonprofit had given him a love for entrepreneurship and the skills necessary to launch his own company.

After seeking a way to combine his passion for serving the community, helping young people, and entrepreneurship, he created a youth sports and enrichment camp provider called Crestpoint Athletics. Working with municipalities, it became one of the largest youth programming providers in the country and served thousands each summer. 

Before turning 30, Greg was able to sell a company. Since then, he spent most of his time volunteering, mentoring young adults, and advising entrepreneurs.

If you are interested in contacting Greg, please send an email to [email protected].

Dedication

To first responders: thank you for all that you do to protect our communities. We can never appropriately thank you for your dedication and willingness to risk your lives for our health, but your selflessness has not gone unnoticed. You have set an amazing example of strength and courage for all of us.

To educators: much like first responders, we have often taken you for granted. This past year has reminded all of us of the vital role you play in the development of our society. We are grateful for all that you have done and will do to educate the past, current, and future generations.

The Better Together Foundation looks forward to continuing to work with others to champion greater respect, treatment, and support for you all.

To My Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad – you are two of the most caring and hardworking people I know, and you have been my role models for as long as I can remember. I can’t overstate my gratitude for the countless sacrifices you’ve made to create the best possible life for me.

Dad - you have long been my best friend. You were there for many of the formative experiences I had, and you played a huge role in developing the passions I carry to this day. You were always an example of what a good man should be. I am grateful that you showed me the importance of being kind, loving, and dedicated to providing for the ones that matter the most.

Mom - you have always been an inspiration to me. I am proud of all the hard work you did to get to where you are today. I admire how you were dedicated and committed to seeking a better education, growing your career, and building a future for your family. Like dad, you did so much to provide me with the opportunities to pursue whatever hobby or interest that I picked up. I will never forget how many times you went out of your way to make sure I could pursue what I wanted to do.

Without you both, I would not be the man I am today. Thank you so much for your unwavering support.

I love you both,

Alex

Special Thanks

Countless people have contributed immensely to my learning and growth, and I want to take a moment to thank them.

Thank you Dolf Berle for being the inaugural advisory board member of 30 Days of Service. Your support and insights were invaluable to me as I started my journey, and I cannot thank you enough for your willingness to take a chance on me and for believing in my ability to serve the community.

I also want to thank the rest of the amazing members of the 30 Days of Service advisory board whom I had the great privilege of leaning on. I am eternally grateful for you sharing your time, feedback, expertise, and professional credibility. Thank you Nakia Douglas, Zoya Jackson, Catalina Villegas, David Field, and Julian Placino.

I am thankful to work with Alkami Technology, a company that exemplifies leadership in the community. I want to thank Adrianne Court, Chanel Tyes, and Courtney Amigh Mrsny - you were among the first sponsors of 30 Days of Service. You all believed in me and my mission, enabling me to go on a tremendous journey of growth.

To Kevin Horan - thank you for being another one of my first supporters. You have always believed in my vision, been a true ally, and served as a role model to me. Your passion for the community and investment in youth development is inspiring. Many thanks to you, Justin, and the rest of the JSX team for all you have done.

To our additional primary sponsors: the Chris MacFarland Foundation, Blucora, Vari, Andy’s Frozen Custard, and ARCO/Murray - thank you for providing valuable resources that helped make 30 Days of Service happen.

To Myles Kratzer - thank you for always being a source of help and support for 30 Days of Service and many of our other endeavors. Not only is your creative genius second to none, but you are a sounding board that has constantly helped refine and enhance our ideas!

To Andrea Williams - thank you so much for the kind words you shared with me in your interview for Mentor Moments. You reminded me that the work I am doing is impactful, and, frankly, your words were an inspiration in writing this book. I am grateful for the example you set as a leader and all that you do to better communities across the country.

To Ryan Roberts - you showed incredible kindness to me when you agreed to document all 30 of our service projects on The CW33’s website. Your support was invaluable in spreading the word about the initiative, and I cannot express how grateful I am that you were willing to support me in such a meaningful way.

To Deborah Ferguson - thank you for producing a segment on 30 Days of Service for NBC5. I will always remember the passion you showed for my project and am grateful for the light you shined on my work.

To Vanessa Ramirez - thank you for allowing me to host many of our service projects at the Boys and Girls Club. Your enthusiasm and coordination were critical to the project’s success, so I appreciate you being willing to take a chance on us.

To Grant Moise - you have kindly supported my work by sharing it with the world through The Dallas Morning News. You are truly a servant of the community, and I am grateful for the belief you placed in me.

To Bianca Montes - since 30 Days of Service, you have often given my work a platform to be shared with the Dallas-Fort Worth community. I cannot thank you enough for helping me inspire others to serve the community.

To Mrs. Alma Rutledge - thank you for being the reason this journey began in the first place. I know