The Speech

(This is what it sounds like in my head. Who knows how it's going to come out...)

They say that: “Everyone who has ever passed through the doors of Bishop Ready knows that for as long as they live they have a home here and they are always welcome back.

Today, I feel that, and I thank you. I want to also thank those who nominated me, and accepted me into this select group. I am humbled by this honor, and I hope that in my life I am able to continue to do the work that brought me here, that is my passion. I want to thank an incredibly supportive family, a whole team of people, hundreds of supporters, and all the folks who inspire me to do the work I do. They’re the ones who deserve the recognition.

I was very nervous about being here today. I asked my girls, who some of you know, what I could say that wouldn’t make me sound like “some old” guy.

They just laughed.

So, I asked another friend, and she told me to just talk about what I do.  

As I look out at all of you I remember myself in those very same seats. I was excited for the future, even if I had no idea what that future held.

It took me sometime to figure it all out, and that’s okay. All I really knew was that whatever I did, it probably shouldn’t involve math. More importantly, I wanted to do it as best as I possibly could.

I learned here at Ready that each and every one of us has the ability to have an impact on our environment, and most especially the people around us.

Just being a Dad, carrying on my daughter Meghan’s legacy through our work with The MJB Foundation, and being the best Dad I can be to my daughters Kailey and Delaney I’ve found my life’s work, and somehow that lead me here today.

At The MJB Foundation we strive everyday to make sure that children, all of the children can know the real Joy that should be childhood.

As my children have grown I have stressed to them, and to their friends and other youth I have worked with, the importance of finding a way to enjoy their childhood.

That’s what life should be all about - Joy - and that is my wish for you today.

Thank you!

If Jim Brochowski can do it...

Maybe this is why:

As I stood up at third base I could see him looking at me and shaking his head. I had just smashed, (Hey I was 13 I still smashed things.) the ball into the fence in left field and while I was disappointed it didn’t go over I was also thrilled with what was probably the best hit of my life.
I scored on the next play and as I walked up to my Dad he said: “Just think how far it would have gone if it had been a strike.”

Ouch!

He was right though, the ball I hit was pitched almost over my head. As the infamous movie line goes: I like the high ones!

Now, I love my Dad and I don’t blame him for anything about my upbringing, but my point is I always have greater expectations, It’s taken a long time for me to learn how to be satisfied, and well, I don’t handle praise all that well.

The year to date has been a good one. The MJB Foundation has raised almost $7,000 with an event still to come, I’ve lost 42 pounds, (as of this morning), and I learned a couple of weeks ago that I’m to be inducted into my high school’s hall of fame, mostly for my work with the foundation.

Right and left I’m being congratulated and praised. Folks are using words like inspirational, and...

… And I have no idea how to handle this.

My wife even wants to have a celebratory get together after the HOF induction. She created a Facebook event, and made me a host so I can invite people who are on my friends list, but maybe not on hers.

Really?

“Hi, Come celebrate me?”

That just feels wrong. Egotistical, making a big deal out of nothing. To me, it’s just weird.

I feel like if I can do what I do, anybody can do what I do, and the reality is it’s not me. It’s an incredibly supportive family. It’s a whole team of people. It’s hundreds of supporters. It’s the folks who inspire me that help me do the things I do. They’re the ones who deserve the recognition.

I’m told I just need to learn to say thank you and move on, but when people are heaping this high praise, thank you doesn’t seem like enough. Not even close.

A friend once told me that she loves exclamation points because they add emphasis to what is otherwise ordinary. Okay - let’s give this a try...

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Hall of Fame? Really?

Dear Ms. Kelly,

I have to confess that I spent a considerable amount of time trying to write "my story," as it pertains to my Bishop Ready High School Hall of Fame nomination. Like many, I have a difficult time with this type of notoriety as I just consider what I do…well, what I do. With that said, what follows is just a summary, rather than some dressed-up version. I don't know how to do that.

I have 3 daughters. That’s not what I say when folks ask because it’s awkward and uncomfortable for them sometimes. Running The MJB Foundation is my way of keeping alive the legacy of my daughter Meghan Joy. This isn’t the life’s work I would have guessed for myself, but it is a mission I embrace, a position I am proud to hold. I’m Meghan Joy’s Daddy, but I’m also very proud of Kailey and Delaney. Being there for all of my children, in whatever capacity, is my biggest priority.

Coming out of Bishop Ready I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life except that it would be better if it didn't involve math. Naturally then, I became a theatre major at The Ohio State University. I thought that was it, the career for me. I even came back and directed a couple of plays at Ready. At the end of the academic year I realized that I wasn't ready for college in the traditional sense. I auditioned and was accepted to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, but having spent more than $600 in less than 2 days there, and not having received a scholarship I decided instead to continue to work at the library, a job I'd had since my senior year of high school. 

In 1988, I met the woman who would later become my wife. I still didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew that I wanted to be the best husband and father I could possibly be. I think childhood and adolescence is absolutely the hardest thing any of us will have to deal with in our lives (save for extraordinary circumstances), and I knew I wanted to make it as easy as I possibly could for my children.

In 1993, our twin daughters Kailey and Meghan Joy were born. We were not expecting twins, and there were many complications. The whole story is here. 
http://www.mjbfoundation.org/about-the-mjb-foundation/the-story-of-meghan-joy/

In May of 1994, we were devastated by the death of Meghan Joy. In an attempt to find some peace, some reason, my wife and I began to reach out to friends and family who told us that Meghan had inspired them, that she had a profound effect on their lives and many others. To continue her memory and preserve her legacy we started holding a golf tournament every year as we, and many of our friends, were avid golfers. Each year for 9 years we had the golf outing and a big party dubbed "The MJB" to celebrate Meghan's life. We settled into a pattern, and daughter Delaney joined us in 1996.

In 2004, our 10th year, we wanted to do something big. In talking to a friend I realized that we could do more with the story of Meghan, that we should use her inspiration to help other children. Children who, like Meghan faced more than their fair share of challenges. Cerebral palsy, autism and a whole host of other diagnoses affect the daily lives of so many children, and the resources for helping them are few and far between. So began The MJB Foundation.

We held our first Golf for Joy, the 10th annual family golf tournament and party remembering Meghan's inspiration in June of 2004. We raised a little over $1,800. We gained our 501(c) 3 status in 2005. We never looked back. In 2010 we added a bowling event and, to date, we have raised more than $40,000 for children with challenges in Central Ohio. From our Mission Statement: By sponsoring recreational and educational activities, donating physical goods and services, and making monetary contributions we hope to bring Joy to these children. 

When we started The MJB Foundation it was easy to identify a need that wasn’t being met. Simply put, some children just don’t have access, or enough access, as the case may be. When Meghan was born in 1993 we had excellent insurance, everything was paid for. If we needed equipment or some adaptive device for Meghan, no matter the cost, it was covered. In 2004 this type of insurance for anyone was nothing more than a faded memory, and the situation has not improved today. 

Even the children with the most challenges are often left at the bottom of some bureaucratic list with not enough funding to obtain the resources they need to just be kids, to experience the Joy that should be childhood. 

The MJB Foundation wants to be there to fill those gaps, to find those children who aren’t experiencing that Joy and help them with the resources they need. Whether that is an adaptive tricycle, some kind of therapy, a special tray or just an adaptive piece of furniture; we work with organizations like FCBDD to identify children in need, provide the needed funding and send them a gift of Joy from The MJB Foundation. 

Our next event is coming up in November as we are presenting Ohio Idols for Independence – Helping Kids with Cerebral Palsy Find Their Voice in conjunction with Ohio Idol, and CP Parent Columbus, a Family Resource Group for Cerebral Palsy. Attendance is expected to exceed 1,500 and the event should raise more than any other we have held to date. 

So does that make me a Hall of Fame inductee? I don't know. Even when I eventually graduated from college in 2001 I wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I grow up, but I have found that I really like to work with kids, and I really like to work with non-profits, particularly organizations that benefit folks who get missed. My community is very important to me... with a lot of emphasis on family. I’m also currently the treasurer for the Westland Band Boosters. (I had some spare time I needed to fill.)

I told my girls that they didn't come with an instruction manual and that we were going to figure out the best way to do things together. As my children have grown I have stressed to them, and to their friends and other youth I have worked with, the importance of finding a way to enjoy their childhood. 

I coached my girls’ sports teams when they played, and I have been fortunate to be a "second Dad" to many of their friends. I still have kids today whose eyes light up as they greet me with an embrace. Many of them call me "Poppa Chow." That's enough of a reward for me.

Jimmer's Tattoo

Thank you to everyone who voted in my tattoo poll. Since the winning answer is, "Well, what kinda tattoo?" - I thought I'd tell you. (You knew I would.)

Of course there's a story, but you knew that too, eh?

When I was a sophomore in high school my family moved to Central Ohio and I began attending Bishop Ready (aka - Ready) High School. It was a tight-knit school and I felt very much like an outsider at first.

I was fortunate enough to find a new friend who had attended St. Stephen the Martyr school before attending Ready. By observing my friend, his family and others at Ready I learned that St. Stephen was, and still is, a tight community with very loyal parishioners. I didn't realize how loyal until I was in the locker room before baseball practice in the Spring of 1984.

I was getting dressed trying, as most boys do in the locker room, to look down, avert my eyes, avoid attention, etc.... when I noticed a senior who had a tattoo on his calf. It was a panther and it was very, very cool. I really wanted to know about that tattoo, but I mean this was a senior right? And he was huge! In eighth grade I had towered over everybody at my massive height of 5' 7." But by my sophomore year I was quickly becoming the short fella you all know now. (Okay round and short these days, but you get the picture.) Still, I had to know.

I summoned all my courage, looked up, and said, "Um, excuse me Jeff, but that is a really cool tattoo." I followed that with something like, "Um, tell me about it," or "where did you get it?" Jeff seemed to turn around really slowly and he just sort of scowled at me. I was scared to death. All of a sudden Jeff broke into a big grin and said, "that's my St. Stephen's Panther. Do you like it?" You could see that he was so proud of the fact that not only was it a cool tattoo, but that it showed his loyalty to St. Stephen. I quickly repeated my admiration for the tattoo and Jeff left the locker room. I stood in awe and thanked God the hulking senior not only didn't kill me, but actually took the time to talk to me and share his tattoo. I almost felt welcome. (I don't think I ever really did fit in at Ready, but that's another story for another day.)

I knew then and there that I wanted a tattoo. I wanted it to be on my calf, and it had to stand for something unique, something pretty darned important.

That was almost 25 years ago. I just haven't been able to find anything that was "that important." Or as Netter said to me, "I think you should have a tattoo, but it has to be perfect."

What could make better sense? It has to be perfect. So, what could be perfect?

I've been trying to figure that out for 25 years.

Let's see - My parish? I've lived in too many to count. My school? I've attended 9 or 10. How about an "M?" I grew up a Michigan fan. Um, I graduated from Ohio State, and the truth is I'm probably more a Buckeye now than ever. Okay so then a block "O?" Yeah, me and a million other people. Something to do with The MJB Foundation, a shooting star perhaps? Well, that is a good idea, but while I am devoted to the foundation and Meghan Joy's legacy I don't want my daughters to feel I put one of them before the other. Wait, maybe I'm onto something there. Hmmm... Hold that thought.

There is also one place I've always identified with - "The D" - as in Detroit, Michigan. I was born in Michigan and lived there for most of my younger life. At one time we lived 10 minutes or so from The Olympia where the Red Wings played before there ever was a Joe Louis Arena. I've rooted for the Wings, and the Tigers, and the Lions, (well mostly the Lions, but come on - they're the Lions) and yes, even the Pistons for as long as I can remember. If people ask me where I'm from, I tell them I'm from "the D."

So, I thought about it and I decided I wanted an Olde English D like the one the Tigers wear on their hats. But, Netter pointed out that while it is a unique looking D, it is also the first letter of my youngest daughter's name. There would be a lot of explaining. "Jimmer, why do you only have a tattoo for D and not K or M?" As I said, I don't want my daughters to feel I put one of them before the other.

Alright, so then how about a Red Wings tattoo. I mean I'm pretty passionate about the Red Wings. You should hear me during a game. The kids run. The dog cowers. The neighbors close their windows. Netter - well Netter laughs at me, but you get the picture. Really though, the Winged Wheel in and of itself is not a unique tattoo.

So, how about incorporating something about the D with something about my girls? That's what I need to do. That's also where I'm stuck.

I'm hoping my nephew can help me with this. He's a tattoo artist by trade. I sent him a text this weekend: "Can you do a tattoo for me?"

His reply: "is this uncle jim?"

I guess I must have surprised him. I don't know that I've told many the entire tattoo story or that more than a few people knew that I want one. Still, I really, really do.

But it has to be perfect.