Life is short, time is God's gift.

As we pass through life, we look back and see the stages through which we’ve passed. Some of us have been fortunate in this period to turn our passions and interests into a career. As with all journeys we’ve had assistance from known and unexpected sources. Such is the case with the blessings bestowed on me from my family who supported me through university then on to the ski and global footwear industry. Later, founding a company in the footwear and sustainable supply chain packaging industries, generous people turned acquaintances into relationships and support.

Some years ago the time came to start paying forward those benefits so freely given to me. In 2010 I read ““an inconvenient truth” by Al Gore. It ignited me to radically change what we were doing and why. This culminated in focusing my entire consulting company Euro Brand Management GmbH on “sustainability” accordingly reducing the environmental impact of our customers. In addition, we earned and achieved B Corp® status in 2015, the first in Bavaria. B Corp® is a global non-profit network transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. My company continued this effort by contributing a sizeable portion of its profits to the Dynamo Camp for pathologically ill children. Last week my Mercy Ships three-month volunteer service came to an end. I carry with me the memories of lives touched and transformed, the lessons learned, and the deep sense of purpose that comes from serving Sierra Leons people in need. I am forever changed by this experience and will continue to carry the mission of Mercy Ships in my heart wherever I go. I look forward to continuing to support Mercy Ships in any way I can and remain committed to advocating for the vital work that it continues to do.

I will shortly be beginning my volunteering at the Dynamo Camp in Italy. Dynamo Camp is a non-profit organization, part of the Serious Fun Childrens Network, a global community of 30 camps and programs for seriously ill children. The first Serious Fun camp was launched in 1988 by founder Paul Newman.