How a Fourth-Grade Friendship Inspired the Next Generation of Community Resilience.
When I was in fourth grade, I met a girl named Cathy Robinson who would become my lifelong best friend. More than four decades later, Cathy is still my best friend and one of my most trusted advisors, serving on The Resiliency Initiative's Board of Advisors. We grew up in a small town, attended a small Catholic school, and were practically inseparable. We also shared a deep love of animals, something that would lead to one of my earliest lessons in entrepreneurship, community service, and the power of a good idea.
Cathy had a particular soft spot for the animals at our local SPCA and decided to raise money to help them. While most fourth graders might have organized a lemonade stand or asked their parents for a donation, Cathy had something much more ambitious in mind. She decided to launch a magazine called Animal Life. She wrote the articles, hand-drew the illustrations, and managed the publication. I was recruited as her reporter, a position I took quite seriously despite having absolutely no journalism experience!
Of course, every successful publication needs subscribers, so we loaded up Cathy's little red wagon and headed out into her neighborhood to sell subscriptions. Somewhere along the way, we decided to diversify our revenue streams (although we certainly didn't call it that at the time). We began collecting miscellaneous items from around Cathy's house, loading them into the wagon, and selling those as well. Looking back, I'm fairly certain we should have asked permission before selling some of that merchandise! Nevertheless, our little enterprise had a clear mission, and every penny we earned went directly to the animal shelter.
What I remember most about Animal Life isn't how many subscriptions we sold or how much money we raised. It's Cathy's determination to do something about a problem she cared deeply about. At nine years old, she recognized a need, came up with a solution, recruited a partner, figured out how to generate revenue, and followed through on her commitment. She didn't have a business plan, a marketing budget, or a board of directors. She had an idea, some paper and pencils, a red wagon, and a willingness to knock on doors.
Looking back, I realize just how much that experience influenced me. Throughout my career, I've worked alongside some extraordinary leaders in business, government, and nonprofit organizations. I've seen firsthand what happens when people are willing to challenge conventional thinking, take initiative, and bring others together around a common purpose. I've also seen organizations with tremendous resources struggle to move an idea forward because they're waiting for the perfect plan, the perfect funding, or the perfect circumstances.
Cathy never waited for any of those things. She saw an opportunity to help and got to work. That combination of innovation, tenacity, and compassion is something I've admired about her for more than forty years, and it's a quality I believe we should encourage in the next generation of leaders.
From a Fourth-Grade Magazine to a Community Resilience Challenge
When we began developing the financial empowerment programs for The Resiliency Institute, the nonprofit organization affiliated with TRI, I found myself thinking about Cathy, Animal Life, and that little red wagon. I wanted to create an opportunity for young people to experience what we had experienced: identifying a need in their community, developing their own solution, and having the resources and encouragement to do something about it.
That idea became Resiliency Crew, the Institute's inaugural youth-focused Resilient Futures Challenge.
The concept is intentionally simple: You have $500. How would YOU help your community get ready?
Our first Resiliency Crew competition is a pilot program for fourth and fifth graders in Northwest Arkansas. We're inviting students, individually or in groups, to identify a preparedness need in their school, neighborhood, or community and propose a project to address it. Selected projects will receive up to $500 in funding to help bring their ideas to life, with adult guidance and support.
The possibilities are nearly endless. A student might develop a project to help elderly neighbors prepare for severe weather, create preparedness resources for families with pets, or help classmates understand what to do during a power outage. They might identify a need that those of us who have spent our careers in emergency management have completely overlooked. That's part of the appeal. We aren't asking children to execute our ideas; we're asking them to bring us theirs.
While preparedness is the focus, the program is also about developing skills that extend well beyond emergency management. Participants will learn to identify problems, evaluate options, develop a basic budget, communicate their ideas, and manage a project from concept through implementation. They'll also learn that making a difference doesn't necessarily require a large investment. Sometimes a few hundred dollars, combined with creativity and determination, can go a long way.
These are the same foundational skills that help entrepreneurs build businesses, leaders guide organizations, and communities become more resilient.
Investing in the Next Generation of Problem Solvers
As business leaders and emergency management professionals, we spend considerable time discussing resilience. We develop strategies, conduct risk assessments, build continuity plans, and invest in the resources needed to withstand and recover from disruptions. All of that work is important, but I've long believed that resilience is ultimately built through people and their willingness to take responsibility for the communities around them.
We often talk about preparing the next generation of leaders, yet we don't always give young people meaningful opportunities to practice leadership. We teach them about community service, encourage creativity, and tell them their ideas matter. Resiliency Crew is our opportunity to put some resources behind those words and see what happens.
I also believe there is something important for the business community to learn from this approach. Innovation doesn't always begin with a major investment or a sophisticated strategic initiative. More often than not, it starts with someone who recognizes a problem and has the confidence to propose a solution. Our responsibility as leaders is to create environments where those ideas are encouraged, supported, and given a chance to succeed.
That's what Cathy did when she launched Animal Life, and it's what we hope to encourage through Resiliency Crew.
Our Northwest Arkansas competition is just the beginning. We're approaching this first year as a pilot, giving us an opportunity to learn what works, understand how students engage with the program, and evaluate the impact of their projects. Our hope is to eventually expand Resiliency Crew into other communities where TRI works, creating opportunities for more young people to develop their own preparedness initiatives.
I would love to see this become a program that local businesses, community organizations, and public agencies can support in their own communities. After all, investing in young people who are learning to recognize risks, solve problems, and help their neighbors is an investment in the long-term resilience of those communities.
The Lasting Impact of a Little Red Wagon
I doubt Cathy had any idea that her fourth-grade magazine would help inspire a community preparedness grant program more than forty years later. I certainly didn't. At the time, we were simply two little girls who loved animals and wanted to help. We had fun, probably annoyed a few neighbors, and may have sold a household item or two that wasn't technically ours to sell!
But the lessons stayed with me. Cathy taught me that you don't need to be an expert, have a lot of money, or wait for someone to give you permission to make a difference. You need an idea, the determination to act on it, and sometimes a friend willing to pull the wagon alongside you.
As we launch Resiliency Crew, I'm excited to see what the fourth and fifth graders of Northwest Arkansas come up with. I hope they surprise us. I hope they challenge our assumptions. And most of all, I hope they discover that their ideas have value and that they are capable of making a meaningful contribution to their communities right now, not just someday when they're older.
Who knows? Forty years from now, one of these students may look back on a $500 preparedness project as the experience that inspired them to start a business, lead an organization, or dedicate their career to helping others.
And if that happens, I think Cathy and our little red wagon will have come a very long way indeed.
Preparedness Starts With Me!
About Resiliency Crew
Resiliency Crew is a pilot program of The Resiliency Institute's Resilient Futures Challenges, designed to encourage youth-led community preparedness projects. Applications are open through November 13, 2026, for fourth and fifth graders in Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll Counties, Arkansas. Students may apply individually or in groups, and selected projects will receive up to $500 in support.
To learn more, apply, or explore ways to support the program, visit:
https://www.resiliencyinstitute.org/resilient-futures-challenges
