By Stephen Tweed

This past Monday evening, I was invited by a great friend to sit at his table for a fundraising dinner.  The event was the annual dinner for the Louisville chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  FCA is a wonderful ministry that reaches out to high school and college athletes and encourages them to follow the teaching of Jesus Christ, and to be Christ for their teammates and fellow students.

There are some amazing stories of how this worthwhile organization has positively influenced the lives of young student athletes, and in some instances saved their lives.

After a gourmet catered dinner of Kentucky Fried Chicken with all the fixin’s (what else would you expect in Louisville, home of KFC?) we heard a wonderful motivational speaker who touched the hearts and minds of the audience and encouraged all of us to dig into our stack of credit cards and support the ministry.  He also had some terrific ideas from his NBA playing and coaching experience that I thought would be relevant to you as a leader in Private Duty Home Care.

Avery Johnson grew up in New Orleans, LA and led his high school basketball team to a 35-0 record and the Class 4-A Louisiana state basketball championship.  He then earned a spot with the Seattle Supersonics and went on to play for the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriers, and Dallas Mavericks.  He’s probably best known for this role with the San Antonio Spurs and their 1999 NBA Championship.

After playing, Avery became an assistant coach with the Mavs, and later head coach with the Mavericks and the New Jersey / Brookly Nets.  He’s now a studio commentator for ESPN.

Know, Believe, Star

Avery’s message to the audience at the FCA dinner was:

• Know Your Role
• Believe in Your Role
• Star in Your Role