eli's ripple effect

The year I graduated from college, I made a decision that millions of other Americans now have the opportunity to make, thanks in great part to a man named Eli Segal who died yesterday of cancer.

The decision? To give a year of my life in full-time service to my country through AmeriCorps. Segal was the visionary and force behind the creation of this domestic Peace Corps-like program that engages thousands of idealistic young adults every year in addressing some of the nation's most pressing needs, particularly in the areas of education, health, safety, and the environment.

During my year of service, I tutored 8 students every day in reading, helped lead after school programs in a low-income neighborhood, beautified parks, built playgrounds, planted gardens, and painted murals. In return, I received a small weekly stipend and an education award to help me pay off student loans. At least on paper. In reality, what I gained was immeasurable. From the leadership opportunities I was given to the diverse team I served alongside, the positive ripples from that year of service continue to make waves in my life--personally and professionally.

Eli Segal understood ripples...the same way Robert F. Kennedy did:

"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." ~RFK

Eli himself was a center of energy and daring--I heard him speak several times during one of my subsequent years on the staff of City Year, a national AmeriCorps program--and his belief in the potential of national service was always inspiring, and contagious. He was more than a government bureaucrat; he was a true national hero.

Rest in peace, Mr. Segal.