You may have guessed we have a treasure at Kaulig Companies but you may not know his name is Aaron Calafato. Aaron is a “Communicator, Storyteller & Podcaster” who is well-known for his 7-minute stories. He joined our Kaulig Media team earlier this year with the mission to help each facet of our organization tell their story better.
When Aaron and I discuss Kaulig Giving, the conversations range from immediate work to philosophies to kids to politics. We met recently on what turned out to be a very challenging day for me. Aaron asked for me to hone in on the goals for Kaulig Giving to help him define some of his work. As expected, the conversation became big, broad and idealistic. Interestingly, the issues that were bothering me that day, paired with depth of our conversation, helped me remember to think big and to push past immediate snags.
Last year, our work and goals at Kaulig Giving were obvious and immediate – create organization and process, develop our name and brand, lay the groundwork for a private foundation and so on. Now, order is in place, partnerships are materializing, and impact on the community is happening! However, it is time to look forward again. What will the next chapter of our story hold? Is it possible Kaulig Giving can become a real agent of needed change in Northeast Ohio and beyond? How will that happen? What does that look like? Is it possible we help cure a disease, eradicate poverty, reduce gun violence, make our world more peaceful, healthy and equitable?
I know we will stumble upon more questions and discover some of the answers as we continue our work one day at a time. I look forward to more thought-provoking conversations with Aaron. It will serve me and others well.