[meaubry]

Once upon a time, a man offered his talent as a way to show thanks and help promote the cause at a special event to celebrate the success of the cause. Now his talent may not have fit exactly with what those being entertained by his talent might have expected or desired. But, those organizing the cause, realized it could be a good thing, and took him up on his offer.

The world, being as it is, carried with that offer certain baggage. That baggage would potentially upset some of those attending the celebration event - the organizers weighed the pros and cons and came to the conclusion that it was still worth it. Not everyone agreed. The organizers did as they always do - they made the decision, and hoped most of the participants would understand.

Some folks will always see the glass as half full, while others see it half empty. It is impossible to please everyone.

Once upon a time, the FIRST program was called U.S FIRST - the premise behind the message communicated to the participants was focused on the importance of growing the future workforce in our country. The idea of making Engineers the heros, to look up to instead of the personalties from the world of sports and entertainment, was an important message - which still has merit.

Over the years, I found that this organization (like most organizations that survive over time) changed it's core values - in order to sustain growth.
The easiest change to implement was away from a "national" focus and for it to grow internationally. This was a very good thing to do, and no one grumbled about this (that I had heard anyways).

The message of sports heros being replaced by engineers - remained, but the message was being communicated by politicians, as the need for government support grew. Every venue and event introduced politicians that spoke of the importance of the program on the lives of the young students involved.
Eventually, even the entertainers themselves were used to help market and communicate the virtues of this great program.

It is so easy to live in a world of unblurred loyalties and virtues. Not so easy, if the world is very dependent on people volunteering their time and talent to help you - in any way that they can. Entertainers entertain, politicians talk, famous people get more attention than the normal guy on the street. That might NOT be fair, but it is real - it is the world we live in.

It only makes sense to leverage those folks that get attention thrown at them, when trying to draw attention to your cause, especially if it is inexpensive or free.

Enjoy the event, celebrate your accomplishments,
Keep an open mind, I find that it helps when you need to solve real problems.

Mike