Breakfast With Champions

Begin transcript:

[Inspirational music playing]

00:00:00:14 – 00:00:40:16
Bridgette Suttle
It’s breakfast with champions at BDI. A center of hope. For those like myself. Striving to touch the sky. With dreams that push beyond the limits and aspirations. I zillion miles high.

Russ Spenser
This morning is about celebrating BDI’s mission and a passionate, empowered self-advocates.

Todd Hermon
As many of you know, we’ve been doing this event for over 20 years now, but every year it is humbling to look out to the audience and see so many champions of BDI’s mission.

00:00:40:19 – 00:01:13:11
Larry Gluth
Your generosity, your presence. It’s what fuels everything we’re able to accomplish together. Today, BDI’s mission reaches more than 80 counties across Georgia and worksites in three other states, plus the District of Columbia. For more than six decades, BDI has never accepted the status quo because we don’t sit back. We don’t wait for change. We make change because we believe deeply that disability should never stand between a person and a life filled with abundance.

00:01:13:13 – 00:01:37:10
John Ralls
Our first luminary has played a vital role in tracking those results, measuring how BDI is changing lives and influencing outcomes one person at a time.

Christine Dendy
I’m very proud to accept this honor and very grateful for this humbling experience. I accept this award on behalf of all those who work behind the scenes, and I would like to thank my friends and family, especially my BDI family, for supporting me through all these years.

00:01:37:12 – 00:02:11:01
Lori Chase
BDI’s programs provide career path for individuals of all abilities. I want to introduce to you three incredible young men who graduated from one of these programs and are now making their mark at one of the world’s leading technology companies.

AJ Johnson
I’ve always been interested in technology and cybersecurity, so I came across BDI just from searching online, and it seemed like a really good opportunity.

Kyle West
For me to receive a job offer from a company as big and well known in the IT and networking industry as Cisco is.

00:02:11:03 – 00:02:31:04
Kyle West
It was a really big honor, and, it gives us a chance to show our skills and learn more. And for that, we’re extremely grateful.

Peter Lauer
He’s an influencer, a one time BDI employee, and a trusted thought leader for over a decade. He’s been a source of guidance on many initiatives over the years. Borrowing from what Anna Maki said earlier in Christine’s video.

00:02:31:06 – 00:02:58:20
Heck yeah.

Mark Crenshaw
So grateful for the work that Bobby Dodd continues to do to create opportunities for people with disabilities. It just makes such a difference that all of you were here this morning to celebrate this mission means so much.

Peter Lauer
There are directionally a million people in Georgia with disabilities, and the disability community is the only minority group out there that anyone can join at any time.

00:02:58:22 – 00:03:22:09
Peter Lauer
And yet, only about 1 in 4 of those disabled people are currently employed. You can help BDI make it two out of every 4 or 3 out of every four employee, but you help create more of the stories you witnessed this morning.

Bridgette Suttle
With God’s grace and your gift, there’s really nothing to fear. So you see, you can be a champion too.

00:03:22:14 – 00:03:35:01
Let’s light up the room. Isn’t that what you came here to do? Join forces with us and become part of our empowering lives crew.