Inspiring Excellence and Nurturing Potential Through Partnership and Collaboration: It’s a Wonderful Life

Abstract

The invitation to write a brief summary highlighting Belin-Blank Center partnerships that support talent development in youth led my mind to channel the 1946 Frank Capra movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The existential storyline from that classic film reveals the merit of relationships when considered from the vantage of nonexistence. The moral? In life, what counts is the relationship—the partnership—between individuals and among organizations because it is the partnership that contributes to an individual’s, as well as an organization’s, “wonderful life.” Five lessons, each with specific recommendations, emerge from this review of Belin-Blank Center partnerships.