When I was approached about helping in this year’s JT Walk, I thought long and hard about what I was going to say to inspire you.  How was I going to engage you and motivate you to give of yourselves emotionally, financially and physically, especially considering what all of us have dealt with this year?  But I realized each of you has demonstrated your commitment to Josh and the JT Walk when you signed up to participate.  Chuck was right when he reminded us that To Nourish, To Serve, To Help Others, and To Give is simply in our nature. We feel it’s our duty, because we care, and we are walking and donating in support of ALS and Josh because WE CARE!

When we became a part of Gold Key PHR | Hotels and Resorts, we became a part of a community grounded in the principles of hospitality and dedicated to the ideals of generosity, leadership, and service.  This community of hospitality professionals ignited in us a love of serving others and instilled in us a sense of responsibility and civic duty, giving us the tools, knowledge and confidence to succeed professionally and engage others as responsible leaders and citizens in our hotels and restaurants, communities, the nation and the world. 

As leaders in our industry, we are not just members of this community; we are stewards of a very important legacy, a legacy of serving others. We have the ability to affect change at the individual level and make an investment that will not only make a difference in the life of one individual but the lives of countless thousands.  The countless number of individuals suffering with ALS deserve our very best efforts on their behalf. They are looking to us for help and we need to be their heroes and answer their call to service.

My challenge to you today is to help make a difference one more time.  Join me on October 9th as we walk to defeat ALS, and join me now in making a donation to this worthy cause. You can come into Mahi Mah’s and make a donation through any server or log onto the ALS website using the user name and password you created when you registered for the JT Walk.  Please give what you can even if it’s simply $5.00.  No donation is too small, and every dollar counts.

This is our moment, and the true measure of our strength as a company, a restaurant, a fraternity, and as individuals will be determined on how well we master this moment when the time arises. . . . Every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that our capacity for helping others may well be limitless. . . . Together we will achieve what is difficult and we will achieve what is great. This is a time for heroes and together we reach for the stars.

Sincerely,

J. David Edwards, M. Ed.