5 Questions
Ben Crandall is a senior at Saratoga Springs High School who is on the varsity soccer and tennis teams, volunteers with the Donna M. Crandall Foundation, and plays saxophone in the school Jazz Ensemble.
He also has been greatly influenced by the Act With Respect Always initiative founded by Coach Rich Johns.
Q : How did you meet Coach Rich Johns?
A : I met Coach Johns at the school tennis camp when I was a freshman, just learning to play tennis. He is truly one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met, and I always enjoy speaking with coach about tennis or whatever else may be going on in our lives.
Q : How did you hear about Act With Respect Always?
A : I had seen posters and Tshirts around town, but I didn’t really know the extent of the program until Coach Johns gave a speech to the ten-
nis camp I happened to be at. Since then, I’ve continued to learn more through conversations with coach. Q : How would you describe the Act With Respect Always mission to others? A : The mission of AWRA, in my opinion, is to encourage you to respect others as well as yourself. The “What’s Your 99?” concept allows you to look beyond the topical one percent and see someone’s true character. Another aspect of the program which I think is very important is the “Visible Project,” the idea that we all must foster our relationships with friends and family in order to develop a network of supportive people around you. In the end, Act With Respect Always is exactly what it sounds like – be kind to others and show respect to those you interact with. Q : How has the Act With Respect Always mission affected you personally? A : As I said before, Coach Johns is a very genuine person. There’s something so sincere about his desire to see you succeed and become a good person that makes his AWRA message even more compelling and important to me. Because of his words, I’ve become conscious of my own “99” and that of others, which I think has allowed me to see people differently and become more empathetic in general. Q : Please share with us how you have, or will in the future “Pay it Forward.” A : I’ve been wearing my AWRA bracelet for the last three years or so and in addition to reminding me of what’s really important, it has started numerous conversations about the organization and its message. As for the future, I fully intend to bring all of my AWRA apparel to wherever I end up in the fall of 2019 and bring its message to a new community. I would absolutely recommend Coach Johns to speak to anyone and everyone willing to listen. I think everyone has something to gain from meeting coach and hearing what he has to say about life and respect. I’m so grateful that our paths have crossed, and I think others would feel the same given the opportunity.