On April 19th, 1925, Hugh Krampe was born in Rochester, New York.
In 1958, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership began inspiring young leaders.
On September 5th, 2016, more than 450,000 HOBY alumni mourned the passing of Hugh (Krampe) O'Brian, a man who had created a program that changed the world for the better.
For those of you who are not familiar with Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY), it's "mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation." (See more at: http://www.hoby.org/about/what-is-hoby#sthash.eMU3...) As a high school sophomore, I had the privilege of participating in HOBY's flagship program, a three-day leadership seminar. The experience changed my life, and I owe many thanks to the OUTSTANDING people who inspired me through HOBY New York East, but without Hugh, my experience wouldn't have existed. My life is forever changed, and it's all #BecauseOfHugh.
#BecauseOfHugh, I learned that small is good. The full weight of the phrase "it only takes one" is often underestimated. My ambassador year, we held a car wash to raise money for Alex's Lemonade Stand. In just under two hours, we raised over two hundred dollars for the organization. It's not enough to put a suffering child through chemo, but it is enough to pay for the gas needed to get her to the hospital for treatment. Since then, I have been involved in several other service projects through HOBY, including making blankets for the Trinity Alliance as well as hope boxes for The Ronald McDonald House. Each of these contributions were seemingly small- a few blankets here, a decorative box there- but the impact which these products had on the recieving individual was huge. It only takes one small act of kindness to bring a smile to someone's face, and hopefully they will, in turn, pass it on.
#BecauseOfHugh, I learned that I can inspire others. After participating in seminar my sophmore year, I was infected with the HOBY fever, and couldn't get enough of Hugh's ideology. I joined my area's board, returned to seminar as a junior staff member in both my junior and senior years, and eventually became a co-president of the executive board for my area. Through all of this, I was able to work with some incredible people, all of whom have inspired me to persue greatness. It hadn't occured to me that this inspiration could flow both ways until one of my ambassadors shared a heartfelt story about her ersonal struggles before attending seminar, and how being an ambassador and learning the HOBY lifestyle had lifted her up. In that moment, I was utterly speechless, and it wasn't due to all the chanting I had been doing. This young girl had overcome and risen above of a struggle, and she was thanking me fpr helping her to do it. I was and am touched, and now have a completely new perspective of my positive impact on society.
#BecauseOfHugh, I learned that I am enough. HOBY is as much abour individual leadership as it is about group, societal, and leadership for service. One of the most importanthings that I have learned through HOBY is that I am good enough. This has been something I have struggled with for a long time, due to the pressure I often put on myself: to impress, to improve, and to succeed. Attending multiple HOBY seminars and continuing my involvement with the organization has brought me to the conclusion that I am enough for me. Before HOBY, I was constantly concerned with dissapointing others. HOBY, and the people I've met through the organization, have helped me to realize that the only person who was dissapointed with me in the past was myself. They then encouraged me to be as accepting of my mistakes as I was of others, and to build myself up twice as much as I tear myself down. Although I'm far from perfect, I've come to a greater acceptance of myself and my flaws. I owe many thanks to Mark, Amanda, Bob, Kat, Mike, Elissa, Maggie, Lily, Kayla, Kunika, and, most importantly, to Hugh O'Brian.
#BecauseOfHugh, I found an incredible group of people with enough love, passion, and ambition to change the world. Actually, that's exactly what we're going to do, and it's all thanks to you, Hugh.
This article is written in memory of Hugh O'Brian, April 19th, 1925 to September 5th, 2016. Rest In Peace, Hugh, you will truly be missed.
