Continuing the Ideals of Our Fathers

In the 1920's, my grandfather left the slums of Sicily and came to this country searching for a better life. When he died, he could barely speak English.

In the 1950's, my other grandfather was so determined to change the horrific working conditions on his job, that he organized the first union in Champaign County. His efforts landed him in jail.

My own father believed that hard work and dedication were all you needed to succeed in life. He was proven wrong when the company he had dedicated his life to for over thirty years was sold and he was let go - losing more than half of his hard earned retirement.

Through the efforts of those three men, I not only have it easier, but I am also wiser and internally richer. And the only way I know how to thank them is to take the lessons they taught me and use them to continue to pursue their dream of a better life.