Aarif Khan with EJS Project founder Dupree Jackson.

Recently, I saw a post on social media about golfer Rory McIlroy donating $10.9 million to build housing for orphans and homeless people in Northern Ireland.

Sadly, those stories were fake. One more piece of evidence to make us feel bad about the state of our world. Why would anyone lie about such a thing?

When we write the story of what happened to our world, when we focus on what drove us apart, I suspect that social media will be at the top of the list of causes. Thanks Elon. Thanks Zuck. Hope you enjoy your fortunes.

With the advent and maturation (an oxymoron) of social media, we have let go of moderation, curation, editing and fact-checking. We’ve fallen into a deep crevasse which seems bottomless. Goodbye propriety, hello deep-fake AI. Sigh…

I cut my teeth in the newspaper business an imperfect model that nevertheless strived to be fair and accurate. If that sentence somehow offends you or makes you gag, I get it.

Newspapers and media in general are a human business and humans make mistakes. People come to their work with inherent bias.

But in the newsrooms where I worked, I saw journalists who strived to be accurate and took pride in their reporting.

Before I handed a story to an editor, I usually read it five or six times. I worked with a range of personalities, some kind, some curmudgeonly, but all experienced. Their antennae were always on alert for errors of fact or omission. I lived in fear of being called out for writing something inaccurate.

I made my fair share of mistakes; like I said reporting is or was a human business. My era was well before the days of AI. Now you can feed your work to ChatGPT for a quick scan of facts. In my day, I had to rely on sources, frequent trips to a physical library and City Hall to access government documents and reports. Our most productive time was spent out of the newsroom; today I suspect you don’t have to leave your desk and that’s a crying shame. The best stuff is discovered when you are out and about, just like the best parts of life happen when you leave your screen behind and explore the world.

Anyway, I was saddened that the Rory story was false. We can use some uplifting news these days.

So, I went looking and I found some.

I’m a big fan of the EJS Project, a local nonprofit that is changing lives right here in Delray Beach.

Emmanuel “Dupree” Jackson is a leader to watch. He’s devoting his life and considerable talents to the next generation. The foundation I work for supports his work and because we believe in Dupree and his team.

We believe in Dupree’s heart and we’ve seen the results; local teens stepping into their potential, learning how the world works and gaining confidence and experience to lead our community someday. Hurry up, next generation, our world needs you. Our current generation is failing us miserably.

Anyway, we recently  received word that one of EJS’ talented leaders is leaving the organization to pursue his next chapter in life, an MBA at Duke.

Aarif Khan was a senior program manager at EJS. Since joining EJS in 2021 he has touched lots of lives. The lessons he taught, the experiences he helped facilitate will stay with the young people he touched for the rest of their lives.

I’ll let Aarif tell you himself.

“My connection to EJS began in 2021 while studying at the Watson Institute at Lynn University. My mentor, Jerry Hildebrand, encouraged me to find a social impact internship and circled the EJS Project on a list of options. He said it was the perfect match for my “boots on the ground” attitude. Unfortunately, later in the same semester, on October 5, 2021, Jerry passed away. Jerry was an integral part of my life at a time when guidance, inspiration, a friendly face, and an ear to listen were very much needed.

Honoring his guidance, I pursued an internship with EJS. With help from a friend, Ricky Aiken from Inner City Innovators, I connected with Dupree, and what began as a three-month internship evolved into almost four years of meaningful work.

We still laugh about my first day: I showed up in a three-piece suit, clip-on tie and all, for what was supposed to be an informal conversation. That moment set the tone for my time here: showing up with intention, ready to go beyond expectations. It’s a story we now share with students to remind them that how you show up can open doors.

From my first tutoring session, I felt a sense of family at EJS. Students gave up Saturdays to help their peers, parents stopped in to greet staff, and neighbors treated our space as a true community hub. That spirit has never faded, and I know how blessed I am to be part of this community.”

Wow.

Aarif’s words take my breath away and remind me of the beauty that still exists in a world that seems to amplify ugliness.

I noticed that he “name checked” two people in his letter to the EJS community. The late Jerry Hildebrand and Ricky Aiken of Inner City Innovators.

I served on Jerry’s board at the Social Impact Lab at Lynn University. As I write these words, I’m looking at a beautiful scarf Jerry gifted me from a trip to Africa. A handwritten note mentioned that scarves and head wraps were once symbolic of oppression and subjugation but were later transformed into a powerful symbol of dignity, survival and resistance.

When I consider Aarif’s value to our children, I wonder how many other young leaders Jerry touched in his life. I trust that the waves of goodness they create are ongoing and that’s how people like Jerry Hildebrand live on.

The other name mentioned was Mr. Aiken. I just met Ricky at his office at the wonderful 1909 incubator in West Palm Beach. My team was invited to join a meeting of the Inner City Innovators and we were deeply moved by their mission and commitment to saving inner city youth from the violence and dysfunction that plague some of our neighborhoods.

They are making a difference (without the need for federal troops) by developing relationships, meeting the emergency needs of kids who struggle financially and showing up with a heart for their work. What they do is beautiful and breathtaking.

And there’s more good work to share.

The Delray Beach Playhouse and The Arts Garage are showcasing local talent, sharing important stories and giving artists an outlet to spark conversations. That is invaluable. We need to talk, we need to gather, we need to share or we will lose each other. It’s just that simple.

Her Second Chance, a beautiful nonprofit in Boca, is saving the lives of women in recovery by giving them a purpose, support and the skills they will need to rebuild. I urge you to visit, your life will change when you see their work up close.

Visit the Achievement Center for Children and Families and see our most vulnerable little ones thrive in a loving environment. Attend an event at Max Planck, an amazing institute and witness scientists engage the community about brain health and see up close why it’s important to support scientific research. It’s an investment in us.

And the list goes on.

Once again I come back to the words of Aarif Khan about his experience at EJS.

“Thank you, Dupree, for trusting me to lead. EJS has always been about one thing: unlocking potential that others overlook. You did that with me and helped me find and grow into my fullest self. I may not have come in through an intake, or with a parent asking for help, but I am just as much a student of the EJS Project as I am a staff member.”

Beautiful.

So maybe Rory didn’t take his Ryder Cup bonus (apparently there is no such thing) and give to the needy in Ireland. But he has given in the past. I don’t pretend to know why someone would plant falsehoods into the algorithm, but I do know that real and positive work is being done right here at home and all over the world.

Let’s be thankful for that.