Butterflies of Wisdom is a podcast where we want to share your story. We want to share your knowledge if you have a small business if you are an author or a Doctor, or whatever you are. With a disability or not, we want to share your story to inspire others. To learn more about Butterflies of Wisdom visit http://butterfliesofwisdom.weebly.com/ Be sure to FOLLOW this programhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wins-women-of-wisdom/id1060801905. To find out how Win walk and about Ekso go to http://www.bridgingbionics.org/, or email Amanda Boxtel at[email protected].

 

On Butterflies of Wisdom today, Best-Selling Author, Win C welcomes Derrin Slack. Derrin is the Executive Director of ProAct Indy, an Indiana nonprofit organization committed to engaging youth in public service that educates, delights, and inspires the young people and those they serve. In this role, Mr.Slack acts as the senior representative for donors, volunteers, youth program participants and other stakeholders and is responsible for upholding their interests. In the purest interpretation of the organization's principles, the success of the organization is the sole benefit of the youth and stakeholders. Mr. Slack is responsible for motivating young people and volunteers and executing on the management priorities at ProAct. Mr. Slack is a full-time officer whom takes a hands-on role in the organization's day-to-day management. In this role, Mr. Slack is responsible for establishing and cultivating strong business relationships with Corporate partners and Nonprofit thought and community leaders. His role includes identifying, developing and leading new community partnerships for ProAct. His strong background in nonprofit management and research, allows him to act as the conduit between the needs of the community and the capabilities of ProAct to address those needs. As a child, Derrin overcame what he considered an embarrassing disability, stuttering, and as an adult, learned to use it to empower others through service learning. Over the last seven years he founded and developed a youth service learning organization, ProAct. He has poured love, finances, and time into teaching youth that serving others is how we grow and lead in our communities. Working directly with youth, Derrin can see them grow and change. His pride in their accomplishments is evident and enthusiasm is contagious. He often says, “Nothing parallels the daily light bulb moment that occurs in a youth's life as I watch them change from apathy about life to a caring, compassionate, interested citizen of their community.” As a graduate of Indiana University with a degree in English, Derrin pursued the dream that is now ProAct after graduation. To support the organization in its infancy, Derrin waited tables and used half of his tips each day to pay for program costs for the first cohort of boys and girls. Eventually, he left the service industry to train medical professionals as a Medical Informatics Trainer at Community Health Network where he was part of a team that led the healthcare network to be a leader in medical informatics in the state of Indiana. After three years, Derrin decided to pursue his passion full time as the Executive Director of ProAct Indy. Since making that decision over two years ago, Derrin has led ProAct to new heights as the organization has increased its budget, provided programs to three times as many schools, and collaborated with 30% more community agencies. The cornerstone to success of ProAct is consistency & understanding. Derrin’s Philosophy is if you can positively embed these ideas into youth programming you will retain your key stakehol