Thank you Girl Scouts of West Central Florida for this very prestigious honor. I’m humbled and very grateful.
Evelyn Follit and Renee Vaughn, my two fellow 2015 Women of Distinction, I’m honored to be among you. Thank you for your service to our community.
Last month, my husband and I made a special trip to Savannah to visit the Juliette Gordon Low House, the birthplace of the founder of the Girl Scouts. What stays with me is all that ‘One Woman’ can accomplish. The Girl Scouts began on Mar 12, 1912, with this ‘One Woman’ and has grown to an international membership of over 3M. Ladies, let’s all strive to be a ‘One Woman’ in our own right and then let’s work together achieving outstanding results!
The message behind the Girl Scouts is Character drives Destiny. I believe in this so strongly that it’s at the core of my organization, Fulfill Your Destiny.
I’m a professional motivational speaker, co-author and certified executive leadership consultant, all to raise money to financially help people in our greater Tampa Bay community through my organization, Fulfill Your Destiny.
I’m dedicated to enriching the lives of others by bringing business and community together.
In the spirit of ‘One Woman,’ be entrepreneurial, innovative, ground breaking and above all else, go ‘all in’ and choose to give your very best in all that you do. When you think of stopping for the day, do ‘one more’, just ‘one more’ each day in the pursuit of your goals.
When we choose to ‘be better not bitter’ we’re able to Triumph through Tragedy, Command Our Destinies when we INSPIRE ourselves and others to live the life we’ve always envisioned.
I.N.S.P.I.R.E. ‘Integrity First’, ‘Nothing Should Stop Us’, ‘Service Before Self’, ‘Perseverance’, ‘Ingenuity’, ‘Respect and Responsibility’ and ‘Excellence in All We Do’.
Since we have many reasons to succeed, we simply don’t have reasons to quit. And since we’re not quitting, we cannot fail.
‘One Woman’ dreamt and thought big. We can too! Set attainable goals through achievable objectives reached by focused and dedicated daily effort. I’ve found when we work really hard and are kind, amazing things happen.
As we fulfill our destinies, let’s take others on our journey with us. Much like our bodies need exercise to perform at their peak, our souls need philanthropy to make our hearts happy. Let’s help as many people as we can, providing a hand up and striving to be relevant every day by making a difference in people’s lives.
Fulfill Your Destiny’s motto is anyone can be a H.E.R.O. – ‘Hands Eagerly Reach Out’ to help others when and where needed.
When we donate our time, talents, treasures or combinations of these, we experience what we call, ‘charity generated endorphins’. If you’re ever not feeling at your best, I invite you to focus your attentions on others.
You’ll be amazed at this joy-filled way to live and how long these ‘charity generated endorphins’ last.
Hooper: Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction finds destiny in helping others
Ernest Hooper, Times Columnist/East Hillsborough Bureau Chief
When you run a nonprofit called Fulfilling Your Destiny, you need to fulfill your own.
Karen Mertes emphatically says she’s living up to the promise of the moniker — and not just because of achievements like being named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida on Tuesday. READ MORE