If You Build It, They Will Come

 

One of my favorite movies growing up was Field of Dreams. The whole idea is that if you’re persistent and keep at it, change will eventually come. That’s where the famous line comes from: “If you build it, they will come.” How wonderful that I get to use this phrase for our work!

Over the years I’ve been part of projects I’m proud of, but one of the most formative was volunteering with Relay for Life through the American Cancer Society. If you’re unfamiliar, Relay began in 1985 in Tacoma, Washington, when Dr. Gordy Klatt walked and ran a track for 24 hours, raising $27,000 for cancer research. From there it grew into a national tradition. 

My family got involved after my grandfather passed away from cancer, and as a teenager, I jumped in. I volunteered at the Christmas Expo, then helped launch a Home and Garden Expo with friends. We had no money, no training, and no connections—just a lot of determination. But we built something out of nothing and raised $25,000 a year. Soon we were being asked to coordinate more events, like a fashion expo. I became known as “the auction guy” because my auctions always pulled in a crowd. That’s when I first realized: if you build it, they really do come.

Of course, it wasn’t always smooth. Some Relayers would host events and feel defeated when nobody showed up. My job as Retention Chair was to remind them: success comes when people feel heard, welcomed, and part of something bigger. That’s what kept people coming back year after year. My team of friends and I won the Gordy Klatt award one year, the first team to win the award. We were honored! 

Fast forward to today, and I see the same lessons in my work with disability advocacy. Becoming Director of Disability Access in Prison Education didn’t happen overnight. It took countless rejections, endless submissions, and constant effort to collaborate and make my voice heard. But by keeping at it, I was able to create things like the Stop the Stigma conference and partnerships with organizations like JSTOR. The same principle applied: build it, and eventually, people will show up.

Guess where I was just last week? Washington! It is such a beautiful state. We flew into Seattle and had the chance to drive out to Puget Sound and Grays Harbor—both absolutely stunning areas. One of the things that really stuck with me was how well they preserve their trees. Outside our hotel, there was this tree right in the middle of a busy area. It looked to be at least ten years old, and instead of cutting it down, they built everything around it. I loved that. It reminded me that preservation—of nature, of people’s voices, of access—really matters.

During that visit, Dr. Jenifer Montag and I trained about twenty staff from college and vocational programs, joined by Department of Corrections staff and a Disability Services coordinator. Everyone had a voice at the table. Everyone felt included. That sense of teamwork reminded me so much of my Relay years.

Back then, my closest friends-- Sidonie, Henrietta, Mark, Alfie-- and I never lost sight of what mattered: communication, acceptance, making sure everyone felt heard. Seventeen years later, we’re still very close. And that’s exactly the spirit that makes both fundraising and disability advocacy successful.

At the heart of it all, whether it’s Relay or disability access, the question is the same: Are people being heard? Are they accepted? Do they feel valued? When the answer is yes, the results follow.

That’s how we raised money for cancer research. That’s how Washington programs are making education more inclusive. And that’s how I got where I am today.

Because if you build it, they will come.