my first grant proposal

March 27, 2008

March 26, 2008

I just got back from the National Product
show and it was awesome! I love spending time with Davids family and
being in an environment that is somewhat outside my norm. It was a nice
relief NOT working this evening as I have been working late every night
for over a week.

Last week I was unable to
write a full journal update because I discovered a large grant was due
on the 24th. In that time period I doubted my ability to write a
thorough and enticing grant proposal; which is essentially like a very
detailed business proposal.

During that week long challenge, I spent the first half researching,
contacting helpful sources, reading the requirements and trying to
figure out how to manifest my vision onto paper.  On Thursday night I
contacted one of the board members to express my anxiety: I was
mentally exhausted, I wanted to spend the Easter weekend not working, I
thought there was a minimal chance we would be awarded the grant…most
of all, I was in a head lock, for as in any challenge, your strengths
and more importantly your weaknesses, start revealing itself to you.
 


I wasn’t prepared
to

provide statistical information on school budgets, city populations,
socioeconomically disadvantaged children and its correlation with poor
health. I wasn’t ready to  provide a detailed budget, precise time lines
and exact project players. I wasn’t equipped to write a full project
proposal  factoring the need, the operation design, the commitment and
capacity, the evaluation plan and the itemized financial plan.  I thought, believed and was willing to concede on Thursday evening that I was NOT primed for this moment in time.

I had the choice to walk away and say next time or I had the choice
to give it all I had while simultaneously surrendering this immense
challenge over to God.

On Thursday, I had a choice to either have faith or not.

I chose faith. I prayed and I requested that God work through me if
this was his will….As any endeavor in life, you must take risks and
choose the harder path, for in order to grow, like a muscle, you will
need to be challenged.

In this writing process, I knew it would be similar to my journal
entries and any project that required intense focus. I knew that once I
begun – if the project was ‘right’ and ‘in flow’ with my internal
spirit, words will start cascading out of me. While writing, I started
seeing a lot of holes in the organization I was forming, however, by
tackling each question head on, I was able to dig deep, and find the
answer.

On Monday afternoon when I sealed the documents and mailed it off
there was an extreme sense of achievement coupled with exhaustion.
I admit that I need to relish that moment in time longer than 5 minutes before I set off towards my next goal.but, I
know in confidence, that without surrendering my power and especially
my ego over to God, I could not have done this on my own. I needed
vision to guide me a vision illuminated only by faith.

—-

HERE
IS AN EXCERPT OF THAT PROPOSAL. I AM SO EXCITED TO BEGIN OUR
TRI(Y!)-FITNESS 4 KIDS PROGRAM LATER THIS FALL. WE WILL FOCUS ON BOTH
CHILDREN AND ADULTS AND HOST AN ANNUAL CHARITY MINI-TRIATHALON FOR KIDS
AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. THIS IS A SUBPROGRAM UNDER THE FWB
ORGANIZATION.

Fitness without Borders
(FW is requesting $_______ for TRI(y!)-Fitness 4 kids, a three year
collaborative community program which focuses on education, activity
and leadership. Our goal is to create healthy interventions at a young
age in an effort to halt continued growth of unhealthy habits and poor,
academic performance.

TRY
– Fitness – for – kids sends a unique, proactive message to our
community role models including parents, teachers, principals and
pastors to be leading examples. Besides utilizing 3 as the
instructive number in our fitness programs, our name also insists that
everyone become healthy role models and try fitness for the kids.

Our Three Initiatives target the following three modules:

  1. Three Community Players: students, teachers, parents
  2. Three Fitness Components: cardio, strength, flexibility
  3. Three Healthy Food Ingredients: protein, carbohydrates, fat(cont.)
    We strongly believe change begins with leadership and education. Our
    Tri(y!)-Fitness program links unity between fitness, nutrition and
    parental involvement. We seek to keep our efforts simple yet
    intricately complex as we have examined through:
    1. social capital
    2.
    social networks
    3. social structureWe can indeed create change if we work delicately through all those social entities.

    (I would show the rest but it was 25 pages long!!) Have a good week
    everyone. Thanks for reading.