Several years ago, on December 16th, I had the honor of accompanying my father, Max Riekes, as we sang the national anthem at a Stanford University basketball game that featured the work of the Riekes Center. At age 93, Dad sang great, rocked the joint with his spirit, and received a thunderous standing ovation. Dads pure expression of love for his country left few dry eyes in the place.
That moment was magical, and the beauty of getting to come to The Riekes Center is that there are moments that our students are creating like that every day. We hope to have 5,000 students in 2006 alone who will be positively effected by the non-judgmental, safe and supportive environment that everyone has helped create here.
The main thing I want our students to get is the joy of Self-Enhancement... transferable life skills, character building, and achievement in their line of interest come out of that joy.
If you haven't been by the Center, please take the time to come by to say hello.
With great hope for the future,
Gary Riekes
