“Persistence is the twin of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time” Anonymous. At the John Rex Endowment we believe in the close relationship between the two.

March is always an exciting month in North Carolina watching the NCAA tournament and rooting for your favorite college basketball team to climb the ladder to the final four and hopefully win the tournament.

Saturday morning my husband and I volunteered to work in a local garden. It was part of a Day of Service that our son’s school was coordinating. We worked alongside fellow parents and some students—most of whom we had never met before.

I was born and raised the middle of three children, in a house that was smack dab in the middle of my neighborhood, in a town close to the geographic center of our state.

I love serving on non-profit boards, but honestly it’s equal parts noble act and self-serving indulgence. Giving back is a tenet of my faith and public service is a habit encouraged by my parents.

I just finished an excellent new book, Conquerors by Roger Crowley, which left me thinking about how leaders make decisions.

A few years ago I had the good fortune of attending Harvard Business School’s Governing for Nonprofit Excellence program.

The cold weather we’ve been experiencing is a great excuse for me to go to the movies, not that I need one. I love movies and this winter it has again been a mad rush to see all of the nominated films.

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew