Personality Is Not Something You Can Teach

Neighboring the community of Carmel Valley San Diego, is the beautiful city of Del Mar, CA. It would be here, that I would witness something spectacular. From the moment I arrived at the beautiful home of Leigh and David Johnson, I felt something powerful. At first, I thought maybe it was the multitude of people smiling and shaking hands with one another, or maybe it was the beautiful music being played by a young lady wearing a “Girl Power” t-shirt. Whatever it was, I felt it, and I wanted to be a part of it.

Attending an event that gathers the genuinely philanthropic bunch, is always something I love doing. This event however, was planned and organized by one of my good friends Mary Beth Kelle and her wonderful team at MBK & Associates; which meant I was in for a real treat. Mary Beth doesn’t just put on great events, she pours her heart and soul into every aspect of what she does – creating a masterpiece of an event.

After walking past the red carpet, my olfactory senses shifted their attention over to what smelled like a culinary treat of some sort. “What could this cool cat be cooking in that oven?” I thought to myself. Sure enough, my sense did not fail me. The oven happened to be Justin Burlingame’s and he was creating his famous “Red Oven Pizza!” If he would of let me, I know I could have eaten an entire pizza by myself. Luckily, there was a group of women in line with me so I couldn’t be rude and take it all. Plus the night was just starting and I hadn’t even been inside yet!

As I made my way over to the entrance of the home, I began noticing that there were more women wearing black t-shirts with “Girl Power” printed on them. I thought to myself, “Of course girls have power, without them none of us would exist, but I wonder what ‘Girl Power’ really means to them?” Not being a girl, I didn’t feel like I could accurately answer that question myself. Immediately I wanted to interview them all, but something inside me suggested that that might not be realistic. So I continued my way through the home and found poster boards with words and lots of colors. Of course, this caught my attention. As I continued walking I asked myself the same question, “What does it really mean for a girl to have power?” Now I wasn’t talking about power in the sense of physical strength – though I’m sure there are plenty of physically powerful girls out there – I was talking about real power, the kind that changes people.

Right about at the moment that I got to the center of the house, I was met by two young girls who seemed energized and eager to share something with me. I quickly asked them why they were so smiley and glowing. They responded simply with, “We’re just happy to be here.” I followed up with asking them why they were happy to be here, and they responded with a variety of reasons. The also pointed out that they wanted to share with others what the Jenna Druck Foundation had done for them and their lives. After my conversation with them, I could not help but be in awe of how amazing these girls were. They exuded confidence, grace, humility, and assertiveness. “Wow,” I thought, “If this is the type of impact the Jenna Druck Foundation is having on their girls, they must being doing a lot of things right!” (please see video interview below).

After I thanked the girls, I continued on my journey to the “Walking Dinner Experience” that Mary Beth had been telling me about. Table after table, chef after chef, this was paradise for my already spoiled stomach. There must have been over 12 different restaurants represented there that night. Each chef brought their “A” game, and delivered an exceptional experience for everyone attending.

In addition to celebrating the achievements of the Spirit of Leadership Program at the Jenna Druck Center, the event was organized to honor Maria Assaraf for a life-time of exemplifying servitude, leadership and “Girl Power.” During her thank you speech, Maria talked about some of the challenges she faced as a young girl and how she was able to turn each challenge into an opportunity. As Maria talk, I thought of her strength and beautiful personality. Then I thought about the young girls I met and how, with the help of the Jenna Druck Foundation, each of them had found strength and their own personality. Yet, what stood out to me the most was these girls always had strength and a great personality. No one “added” strength or a personality to who they are as a person. Personality isn’t something you can teach. Its at the very core of every human being, and it sometimes requires the help of another individual, organization or event to bring it to surface.

That night, I watched as seemingly “strangers” donated money to a cause that would change the lives of many young girls, just like the ones I had met earlier that evening. Would the donors ever meet the girls who’s lives they would certainly change? My conclusion was that it didn’t matter. We all got an opportunity to literrally see the changed lives of those young girls, and that in itself, was more than enough to justify any donation.

David A Moya | Co-Founder

David A. Moya is a community contributor and influencer for positive change. As founder of The Carmel Valley LIfe he focuses on education, transparency and helping others find their passion. During his earlier years, he fed his entrepreneurial spirit and founded a company focused on the development of young individuals who are committed to peak performance. David went on to pay for his BA in Finance through his real estate business and after graduating flew more than 30 flights to over 10 countries in order to master the art of communication and business.