In talking about her team, the great soccer phenom, Mia Hamm once said, “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.”  As we anxiously prepare for Summer, 2012, I am most excited about the team that I get to serve with.  As I read that quote, I couldn’t help but but think about the “Champions for kids” that make up the heart of Rock Solid.  When I googled the term “champion” on the internet, there were definitions such as self-confident, motivated, determined, focused and a winner in life.  I am excited to say these are the people that remind me that it’s OK not be be perfect, these are the people that inspire me and mostly, these are the people who you choose to do day to day life in the summer with your children.  They/I take that serious and we are grateful for the past 8 summers that you have entrusted us with your greatest treasure.  2011 was a special summer in that we not only were granted the opportunity to impact many lives through camp and running the city pools, but we were also privileged enough to get to teach over 1,000 people how to swim through a grant raised based on the 2010 drownings that occurred at the Red River.  I have certainly fallen way short of perfection in my life, but yet for some reason, God still continues to use less than perfect people to do such humble jobs.  On that note, our awesome (and sometimes less than perfect staff) look forward to another great summer of not only impacting your children, but also on teaching more people a skill that could conceivably save both their life and the life of a loved one.  Thanks for those of you who have supported our cause over the years.  We could not do this without you.  And no matter how hard it gets at times, we can’t wait to make an impact again, one life at a time.

Shelley McMillian

CEO, Rock Solid