Yea for Lori

My good friend Lori Cannon, was selected as the Distinguished Community Woman of the Year by our Girl Scout Council and this award was announced Thursday morning at their annual volunteer recognition breakfast. I can't think of anyone who deserves the award more.

Lori and I met the day I first visited a BNI group in December 1995. She gave me a referral that very day, wanting to use my sales coaching services. And we have been fast friends ever since then.

When I think of all the stuff Lori has donated her time to, it is really amazing. She trained for and ran her first marathon with Team in Training for the Leukemia Society in my father-in-law's honor. She raised $5,000 to be part of this team.

Lori has gotten me into oh, so much, too. Whether it was a sponsorship for the Exchange Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, or being part of the rowing team for Toledo's Dragon Boat races or being on the committee for the Girl Scout Camp CEO, each time she pulled me in, I knew that we were going to have a lot of fun. She is the one who recruited me for our Master Mind group.

People go to Lori, when they need someone to help them think through a problem. She has this wonderful knack to help people figure out the best way to solve issues without telling them what to do.

Lori sold memorials (tombstones) when I first met her (and she sold a lot of them, because she took the time to allow people to tell her about their loved ones.) In fact, when my father-in-law died, she helped us to create his monument. In 2000 she became a financial planner for Edward Jones and as with everything else, she has attacked this new endeavor with gusto.

I was thrilled to be sitting in the audience on Thursday morning when Lori was recognized for all she does. In accepting the award she shared that her parents set the tone for her future involvement with the community. And she asked all of us to continue to set an example for the scouts as they continue to come along.

Thanks Lori for setting the example for all of us to follow!

Please weigh in on Lori and her accomplishments.