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Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.

By in News, Uncategorized on May 10, 2016

While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary. The hills bring the fruit of righteousness. He will judge the poor.

Hear my prayer, Yahweh. Listen to my petitions. In your faithfulness and righteousness, relieve me. Don’t enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no man living is righteous. For the enemy pursues my soul. He has struck my life down to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead.

Telemachus Spring 2016

Telemachus Spring 2016

By Rick Woolworth in Newsletter on April 26, 2016

Telemachus Fall 2015

Telemachus Fall 2015

By Rick Woolworth in Newsletter on November 30, 2015

 

 

   
   

 

SAVE THE DATE: 2016 Annual Gathering

We will be back at Gasparilla in 2016. Mark your calendars for October 13-16!
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FOCUS ON COMMUNITY: Houston, Texas!

Telemachus continues to grow in depth and breadth. There are several local communities where people are gathering together on a regular basis. Houston is one amazing example of how a senior mentor couple, Doug and Suzi Pitts, generously open their home each month to gather Telemachi singles, couples and their young families. They are doing life together – sharing hopes, questions, challenges, sorrows and joys.

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DOUBLE CLICK ABOVE TO OPEN LINK FOR A SHORT VIDEO
with Suzi Pitts and Trevor Hightower


CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS

  • Organic, non-programatic relationships
  • Authenticity and sharing stories
  • Asking questions
  • Connecting to personal network
  • Sharing content
  • Identifying giftedness
  • Encouraging
  • Challenging mentees to become mentors
SUPPORTING TELEMACHUS:  Jane and Josh Grizzle

We are grateful for the ongoing partnership of so many in the Telemachus community. As you consider your year-end giving, know that your participation is making a difference in the lives of many. We would like to share the perspective that Jane and Josh Grizzle gave at the Annual Gathering:

Josh: When Rick asked us to share why we give to Telemachus, I thought, “Because you ask us to.” But we also know that were Telemachus to charge the full cost of the conference to each participant, it would only be full of people like us and not accessible to those in creative fields, non-profits or education. The Annual Gathering would not maintain its unique mix of people and topics.
 
Jane: When I first came to Telemachus, I thought it would be great for Josh. I was about to leave my job and stay home with our son, Forest. I figured these conferences are all about networking and Type-A personalities and then they showed Brene Brown’s TED Talk about vulnerability. There was not a dry eye in the house and I thought, “OK, I might get something out of this.” We’ve really benefited from the relationships we’ve made at Telemachus Annual Gatherings and from the teaching we’ve received.
 
Josh: As a family, we give to evangelism and outreach and to people who cannot help themselves. We see Telemachus as evangelistic. There is as much brokenness in the spheres we live in as anywhere else. It might not be as obvious or visual but it is real and Telemachus is addressing that need through relationships and teaching.
 
Jane: Telemachus is heavily supported by the mentors who come to the Annual Gathering and our giving is a way to partner with them and honor them for the ways they sacrifice not only their time, but their gifts to Telemachus as well.
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“When spiritual friends share their stories, the others listen without working. They rest. There’s nothing to fix, nothing to improve. A spiritual community feels undisturbed quiet as they listen, certainly burdened . . . but still resting in the knowledge that the life within, the passion for holiness, is indestructible. It needs only to be nourished and released.” – Larry Crabb 

Telemachus Spring 2015

Telemachus Spring 2015

By Rick Woolworth in Newsletter on May 28, 2015

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MINNEAPOLIS

  • November brought our first Life Vision Workshop double-header. One event was hosted by Telemachus Advisory Board Member Matt Hultquist’s cousin Nathan Olhoff.
  • The other workshop was sponsored by David Haase and Tim Murphy with fellow Minneapolis area Stanford Business School Alumni.

GREENWICH

  • Barb Morris hosted a fabulous Northeast Region Dinner in the fall, where we celebrated a few birthdays and enjoyed delicious food and many laughs.

WESTPORT

  • A group gathered in December at Rachel Haughey’s latest CT cafe NEAT for cappuccinos and an excellent talk on the struggles facing women entrepreneurs.

NEW YORK CITY

  • To toast the New Year, Advisory Board Member Duncan Sahner hosted a cocktail party and in March his brother, Christian, an author and scholar, led a superb tour of the Islamic Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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ATLANTA

  • Erin and Matthew Haneline did a spectacular job hosting a January Life Vision Workshop which led to numerous meetings and meals with new and old friends in the Telemachus network.

NASHVILLE

  • Tennessee was the location of a February Life Vision Workshop superbly organized by the Walker and John Herbold.

DARIEN

  • In the midst of a massive spring snowstorm, Tori and Andrew Barnett hosted a wonderful dinner with a Dating & Marriage Workshop in their beautiful CT home for seven couples new to Telemachus.

WASHINGTON DC

  • The Flemings, Morgenthalers and Helen Woolworth hosted a large Life Vision Workshop in April which happened to coincide with peak cherry blossom viewing. So the weekend was full of beautiful people, weather, and views!

2015 ANNUAL GATHERING

Plans are taking shape for T5 at the Gasparilla Inn on October 8-11, 2015 in Boca Grande, FL. Some exciting speakers are booked and registration is scheduled to begin in May.

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FEATURED SPEAKERS & MUSICIANS

UNPACKING IDEAS

  • We heard your requests on the follow-up survey and we’re hoping to build a bit more breathing room into the schedule this time so everyone can process the talks a little better and enjoy more fellowship.
  • We also have more comfortable seating in sight!

WEBSITE RELAUNCH

We’re anticipating the late May roll out of a fully updated version of TELEMACHUSNETWORK.ORG with an integrated data management process to streamline all Telemachus event registrations.

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  FRESH DESIGN

  • Head of Operations, Laurel Meath has been busy revamping the Telemachus website with the help of strategic web design firm Ideation in San Pedro, CA.
  • Evolving website needs and a desire to keep the design current have led to an attractive and user-friendly new website launching in conjunction with the send-out of the 2015 Annual Gathering invitations.
USER PROFILES
  • Instead of having to submit biographical details for every new event, going forward attendees will create website user profiles which can be updated as needed and accessed for all Telemachus sponsored event registrations.
QUICK & SEAMLESS
  • To help make the new event registration process as quick and seamless as possible, everyone who receives the 2015 Annual Gathering invitation will have an access link to a special account creation page enabling them to register more efficiently.

CHECK IT OUT

  • We invite you to visit the new and improved TELEMACHUSNETWORK.ORG coming soon! Read our blog, register for events in your area, or link to our Facebook site all accessed directly from the home page.

NEW BOARD STRUCTURE

In an effort to keep the governance of Telemachus as effective as possible, the Board was reorganized to allow for a more streamlined process, releasing more members to focus on their specific areas of interest instead of wading through all items of business at every meeting.

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  • We are so grateful for everyone who has served on the board in the last few years and very thankful for their continued commitment to Telemachus.
WE’RE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE NEW TEAM
  • Board – Rick Woolworth (President), Andrew Huck (Treasurer), Tom Knott (Secretary) and Lindsay Reimers
  • Advisory Board – Mike Fox, Jane Nelson, Suzi Pitts, Matt Hultquist, Jonathan Lusk, Barb Morris, Duncan Sahner, Katherine Snedeker, and Trevor Hightower.

2014 ANNUAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

Our annual fundraising campaign expanded this year with a general mailing to the whole Telemachus community. The results exceeded our expectations!

tix  GREAT SUCCESS

  • Many thanks to Peter Nelson for his expertise in helping to shape our successful fundraising effort.
  • As a result we are well positioned financially with most of our 2015 budget already covered.

NEW SUPPORT

  • We are thrilled to have 20 new donors this year with a total of 45 contributing individuals and couples overall.
  • We are humbled and grateful for the support we receive both financially and through ongoing words of encouragement. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who puts their time, money, or creative thought into Telemachus.
Does Money Make You Mean?

Does Money Make You Mean?

By Rick Woolworth in Telemachus Blog on May 12, 2015

I have been disturbed, a bit haunted, by a TED talk, “Does Money Make You Mean?” Sociologist Paul Piff reviews seven years of research and concludes that as our wealth increases (1) our empathy and compassion for others declines and (2) our sense of entitlement and self-interest increases.  Read on if you want to hear the punch line as to how we can avoid this phenomenon.   Since viewing this video I have been asking myself how true is this of me and am I a party to this pernicious insensitivity?  There are few words I would less like to be labeled than “entitled.” How about you?  Most, if not all of us, reading this blog are relatively affluent given our finances, education and experience.   Piff’s behavioral studies through observing monopoly games, monitoring whether drivers slow at crosswalks as people cross the street, and watching people steal from a candy jar intended for children demonstrate that wealthier people are:  

  • Less apt to give to the poor
  • More apt to pursue achievement to the detriment of others
  • More likely at work to endorse unethical behavior, cheat, lie to customers, lie in negotiations, and take bribes

  From a more macro perspective, societies with greater income inequality have:

  • Less economic growth
  • Less social mobility and educational performance
  • Less community life and social trust
  • Greater obesity, violence and substance abuse

  The implications of this research are enormous for nearly every aspect of life  – relationships with family, friends and strangers, child-raising, work, leadership and stewardship. There is some good news.  Piff’s research also shows that these behavioral differences disappear when the wealthier subjects observe benevolent or pro-social acts by others.  Even small acts of kindness can increase the compassion and empathy of those around us, whether family, friends co-workers or strangers.   This is one of the reasons I love spending time with members of the Telemachus community.   I often come away inspired and a better person when I hear about the generative, life-giving way many of you approach your careers and causes you care about, as well as how you redeem the six feet around you in how you treat others in your daily life.   I am reminded of what John Wooden, the now deceased legendary basketball coach, once said, “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”