As the head of programming for my Men's Club, I'm always looking for opportunities to find interesting speakers and meaningful programs. Last August, I was leisurely reading Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and happened upon an article "A Bridge Over the Racial Divide - This ex-baseball player is using his background to bring understanding and advocate for change." The article seemed somewhat out of place for a personal finance magazine and not where I'd expect to find someone as a Men's Club speaker.

Doug Glanville had recently created and narrated a video essay for ESPN about the death of George Floyd, called "Enough." Between his passion for social justice, his background as a professional baseball player, and his professional activities local to our community (working at ESPN, teaching a course at the University of CT), I knew he'd be someone we should get for a program. Living in a community just a few miles from our synagogue was a plus, although not critical in these days of Zoom programs. I reached out to a fellow congregant who was working at ESPN and happened to know Glanville very well. Eventually, I was put in touch with Glanville's marketing person who I worked with in getting a program coordinated.

Someone of Glanville's caliber gets a fee for appearances such as this, and it was more than our Men's Club was willing to accept. However, knowing the broad interest there would be for such a program, Beth El Temple, Women's Network, and Chai Society (for members 55+) all willingly agreed to co-sponsor the program with Men's Club, so costs were split 4 ways. Another fellow congregant (who also was working at ESPN and knew Glanville very well) agreed to moderate the program.