MEET A MONTHLY DONOR: SCOTT GRIEBLING
What made you decide to give to Prodigy?
I really appreciated how Prodigy was so focused on the apprentices and their experience. It wasn’t about your egos. It was a really practical way of helping people, equipping people and empowering people.
You used to do humanitarian work overseas. What appeals to you about Prodigy's model?
RECOGNIZING THAT PEOPLE HAVE WONDERFUL THINGS TO CONTRIBUTE.
I was doing humanitarian aid with water and sanitation. It was a great experience and some of the water work we did was useful. It’s hard to say how much if any, 5 years later, is still being used or helping anyone. But the opportunities to interact with people, give them skills, and encourage them, goes beyond building capacity. Recognizing that people have wonderful things to contribute--those are the things I can trust will continue to benefit people. It has a longer lasting effect than any physical infrastructure we put in place.
How does the Prodigy story connect to your own story?
I am trying on a continual quest to learn how to be more authentically me. It’s a process of continually trying to circle around to a deeper and more full expression of who I am. As a father, I look at my kids and want to draw them out and learn how to get my own ego and shit to get out of the way to allow for them to be more emotionally them.
If someone were to help you enact your vision for the world, what would they do every day?
With Prodigy specifically, I’m really impressed by the level of holistic personal development that you strive for. It’s so much more than job training because you are offering personal growth, psychology, the spiritual aspect of life as well. That’s the deep investment in people. That’s the type of investment that brings about real change. It seems to me, that type of investment can have a domino effect on the apprentices families, friends, and the communities they live in.
I unknowingly or unconsciously contribute to systemic social injustice in a lot of ways and it’s hard to find ways to fight back against that.
I think having an opportunity to empower people and provide opportunities for the type of investment in people that will be ongoing.
It’s a wonderful invitation and a challenge to see the level of intentionality you put into the apprentices training and what you expect of the apprentices. It’s an excellent challenge for me. I ask myself, “how do I want to live my life,” “do I want to focus on those things as well?”
IT'S MUCH MORE THAN JOB TRAINING.
What would you be doing with your money if you weren't giving it to Prodigy?
Drinking it away!
We are shifting more and more to a subscription society. We don’t own things as much as rent them. So much of what we consume is on a subscription basis. I love having opportunities like Prodigy where I feel like I can subscribe to something that is not my own consumption or my own entertainment. How much are you willing to pay for Spotify or Netflix or whatever it is?
We have $121,000 still to go in fundraising this year. What call to action do you think would be effective to invite donors like yourself to generosity?
There’s a lot of ways that people can spend their money and a lot of ways people can give their money. Something I really appreciate about Prodigy is it’s local. It’s a way to impact the community around us.
The contribution I give has an outsized impact because of where the apprentices are in their life and the way you’ve structured the program toward holistic development.
What’s your favorite drink at Prodigy?
Nitro cold brew. Black.