Michael Lee StallardOur Responsibility to Connect to the Disconnected Among Us – Michael Lee Stallard https://www.michaelleestallard.com Helping Leaders Create Cultures that Connect Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:16:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Our Responsibility to Connect to the Disconnected Among Us https://www.michaelleestallard.com/our-responsibility-to-connect-to-the-disconnected-among-us https://www.michaelleestallard.com/our-responsibility-to-connect-to-the-disconnected-among-us#respond Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:11:39 +0000 Michael Lee Stallard http://www.michaelleestallard.com/our-responsibility-to-connect-to-the-disconnected-among-us Years ago when I attended a large church in Wheaton, Illinois, I remember the Asgedom family who came from a refugee camp in Sudan.  They were ever present members of our church community.  Mawi Asgedom was a young boy at that time.  I recently learned that Mawi went on to graduate cum laude from Harvard […]

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]]> mawi.jpgYears ago when I attended a large church in Wheaton, Illinois, I remember the Asgedom family who came from a refugee camp in Sudan.  They were ever present members of our church community.  Mawi Asgedom was a young boy at that time.  I recently learned that Mawi went on to graduate cum laude from Harvard in 1999 and was voted by his fellow students to be one of the Harvard’s four commencement speakers.  

Standing before an audience of 30,000 Mawi gave a remarkable speech entitled  “Of Snakes, Butterfies and Small Acts of Kindness.” Mawi went on to write the story of his journey in life in the best-selling book entitled Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refuge Camp to Harvard. 

Don’t miss reading Mawi’s commencement speech. I hope you’ll read the book too. After you read it, would you consider becoming an intentional connector to look for the disconnected who live among us and make an effort to connect with them? You’ll find disconnected people in the workplace, in your community, in your neighborhood and perhaps even in your family. There are many reasons people become disconnected including the indifference of others. We may not be able to help every disconnected person but we can throw them a lifeline with our words and actions that demonstrate we see them and that we care. I’ve found that reaching out to the disconnected may have a positive effect on their lives, and always has a profound effect on my own.

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