As I sift through local media stories, a hard-to-miss theme is the volume of locally grown ideas that have made their way into becoming realized opportunities. Tales of the development of our urban core that are intrinsically tied to the emergence and impact of the light rail, inventive social programs rooted in a caring web of passionate non-profits, and the development of a small business and technology ecosphere with a growth rate that is among the steepest in the country. The greater Phoenix area is emerging as a model that the remainder of the country is appreciating.

There are many, many moving parts and people with a hand in these success stories. The mental image that I have looks like a glowing mesh of interconnected lines that is complex, always in motion, and has attached to each connective line these simple, yet potent, pair of letters: VL

This may sound farfetched, but in truth it isn't. Attached to just about every project that makes our community a thing of pride are one or more of the 1,800 graduates of Valley Leadership Institute. As a result of the enabling training, perspectives, and connections that are provided by Valley Leadership programs, they (you) have visualized needs and possibilities and woven bright solutions.

The results coming from 37 years of Valley Leadership Institute’s graduates involving themselves within the community is unmissable. Some examples include projects aimed at state law that waives state tuition for young adults growing up within the foster community; increasing the amount of Public School Tax Credit donations by 150%, or $4 million dollars, within a 12-month period; helping sick children understand their medical condition and care by designing a mobile application that explains their condition and treatment in simple ways that they can understand; and representation within all levels of Arizona government and leadership roles across the organizations that make up the Arizona community. This is only the thinnest sample of the impact of Valley Leadership.

Looking ahead it will be even greater.

I am both hopeful and enthusiastic about what will come as the emerging and future leaders whose passions and pursuits are honed through exposure to Valley Leadership's Leadership Advance and Youth in Philanthropy programs come into their own alongside the alumni of VL's flagship Leadership Institute, the Valley Leadership Institute.

Every time that I step back to take in what has grown in this city over such a short period, I see the living passion and commitment of Valley Leadership's alumni. In the truest way that I know, thank you for all that you have invested into Valley Leadership. The thoughts, energy, money, resources, and care that you provide are the engine that allows our organization to be a conduit that allows passions and pursuits to be translated into all parts of our community. The downstream of what you provide is that today’s greater Phoenix meets the wishes of our past and that our future will be that much better for everyone who discovers this sparkling community.