Sam Presti, Peace Week Opening Speaker on 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

A member of the Casady YAC Peace Team made the following introduction: "Many of you will know our speaker today because he is the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Sam Presti is also involved with Peace Players International, a global outreach program focused on bringing children and communities together through the game of basketball. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Shooting Touch, an organization that grants graduating college seniors the opportunity to travel the world and use the platform of basketball to help foster education and influence positive social change in third world global communities. And, last April, he was the face of the Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum Oklahoma Standard Challenge, One act of service, One act of Kindness, One act of honor."

Mr. Presti's speech focused on three points

a. "There is a point in your life when all the natural growth that many of you are still experiencing stops,-Mr. Presti referred to  his 5-month old son Nicholas as an example- when nature stops making you bigger, stops making you stronger, stops developing certain skills and then responsibility falls on you.  You will have to be more intentional on how you grow.  What got you to this point is not what is going to get you to the next point in your life.  You have to be more intentional at getting better and learning."

b. The second point: "The concept that confidence is all around you. Close your eyes and think of the most confident people in school.  That person is not as confident as you think.  Confidence is not normal, anxiety is.  The people who you think are so confident, they have the same fears and anxieties that you do.  So, how do you build this concept of confidence? The quality of gratitude.  The more that you are grateful, the more that you give back and the more that you recognize the great things that you have in your life, it builds confidence.  This concept of service, the people and places you help build actually build yourself."

c. The third point:  Recognize your heritage:  The message was do not take for granted what surrounds you, stop and learn your Oklahoma Heritage.  Visit the Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum, Thunder will not be here if it were not for the work done by so many caring people after the Oklahoma City Bombing