Impact: Making Ripples
At the end of August, we close our fiscal year at the Momentum Center. It’s a time to reflect—not just on how much we did, but on the impact we created. The perennial test of our work is simple: if it isn’t having an impact, we shouldn’t be doing it. We should be figuring out what to do instead.
Impact isn’t one grand gesture, one powerful conversation, or one standout program. It’s the accumulation of countless small moments—a smile, a nod, an acknowledgment. It’s taking a moment to listen, to empathize, to reflect back what we’ve heard. It’s seeing and hearing people in a way that allows them to truly feel seen and heard.
That doesn’t come naturally to me. I am driven and outcome-oriented. I believe in getting to work and creating results. That’s why I was so excited to begin my career in medical administration at Mary Free Bed. What an incredible place to make a difference!
But a few months in, I learned I was being perceived as cold and unfriendly. I was stunned. How could that be? I showed up, went straight to my desk, and got to work improving people’s lives.
Oh. That was the problem.
I was so focused on outcomes that I overlooked the people around me—the very people who were also there to make a difference. I didn’t realize that part of my job was to pause when I walked in. To say, “Good morning.” To ask how someone was doing. To be curious about their lives. To build relationships. Making that small shift changed everything.
I’m much better at this now—because I genuinely care—but I still have to remind myself. On busy days, I can slip back into old habits. And I’ve learned this: my silence has just as much impact as my words—just not always in a good way. The way I show up matters. The way we show up matters.
At the Momentum Center, we see that every day.
Instead of a TED Talk this month, I’m sharing a FOX17 interview that highlights our impact—and underscores that this work is only possible because of the mental health millage. Passed 10 years ago, that millage has transformed mental health support across our county. From programs like ours to Community Intervention Teams (CIT) that help de-escalate crises to Senior Reach and Pathways, Ottawa County has built a network of support that quite literally saves lives.
My friend John Valasco captures this idea of impact beautifully in his poem:
The Ripple
A stone, dropped into a still lake
from the center of a connecting bridge
creates a ripple
beyond what can be seen.
How far the ripple travels
depends on the size of the stone,
the force as it enters the lake,
and the stillness of the water.
The impact it makes
along the distant shore
is unknown.
What is known is this:
without the act of creating the ripple,
there will be no impact at all.
Go ahead—make a ripple.
We don't only make ripples that are carried away from us, we feel the ripples of others that come our way. Who has made a ripple in your life? One of those people for me is Shane Jones. I recently learned that my dear friend has ALS. It came on quickly and fiercely. Shane was such a good friend that he took me to my senior prom after my boyfriend and I broke up—an act of kindness that has never left me.
We only saw each other a handful of times over the decades since, but when I visited him recently, the depth of that friendship was instantly present. As I left, I told him I had always carried him in my heart—and I have. That visit, along with John’s poem, inspired me to write this:
The Ones We Carry in Our Hearts
The people who were kind to us
Who treated us with grace
The ones who turned their eyes to us
With sunshine in their gaze
The people who reached out a hand
To gently lift us up
And offered shelter from the storm
When life was all too rough
Are the people that we carry
As we walk along life’s way
In the space within our spirit
That reminds us every day
That the cost of love is worth it
Wherever it may lead
For those memories sustain us
When our souls are filled with need
Decades may come between us
Different pathways walked and worn
But the moment that my eyes meet yours
Our connection is reborn
The gift of selfless friendship
With no thought of loss or gain
Comes from only special people
Who reflect our joys, our pain
And they meet us on our journey
Spend a lifetime or a day
As they gift us something holy
That we carry on our way
It makes no bit of difference
The miles or time apart
For these are sacred people
That we carry in our heart
Many of you reading this right now are people I carry in my heart—and you may not even realize it. How often are we unaware of the impact we’ve had on someone else?
At the Momentum Center, we see this every day. The hour you spend serving a free meal, the $50 you donate, the three minutes you take to smile and say hello—these moments ripple outward in ways you may never see. That doesn’t diminish their impact. It simply calls for trust that what you do matters.
Today, I’m asking you to take one very specific action that will create real impact: vote. Vote yes for the mental health millage. Let your voice be heard. Let your decision be counted. When enough of us do one small thing, big things happen. Voting yes ensures that our county continues to provide the supports that make a difference—often in ways you may never witness.
And as you go about your day, take one more moment. Ask someone how they’re doing—and really listen. Your presence matters. Show up. Fully. In that small act, you will be dropping a stone—one formed of love, care, and compassion—and you will be making a ripple.
Namaste,
Barbara Lee
Experi-Mentor
Barbara@MomentumCenterGH.org
