Focused Empowerment
Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers,
This is more than just a website. This is a compilation of my grandpa’s work, teachings, and achievements. It is a project that could not have happened without time and life experience. My name is Sedona Ortega and I am Richard Fine’s grand-daughter. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to develop this project alongside my grandpa. Before my grandpa proposed this project, I had never made a website before and frankly, I had no idea where to start. However, I took on the challenge and with the help of many others, I developed something that I could have never imagined a few months ago.
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Without collaboration and teamwork, this could have never happened. I want to take the time to name and acknowledge the following people who helped develop this website:
Peter Tomasovitch- for offering his experience, knowledge, and time to support me in the final editing stages of this website.
My beautiful friend Elaina Pagliasotti- for bringing honesty, care, and a fresh perspective to help edit written content.
My cousin Reed Fine- who created the tree painting on the Outdoor Education page. Her work captured the symbolism of my grandpa’s philosophy of connecting with nature.
My friend Asa Dougherty- for working with me and going above and beyond to develop artwork and graphically design a web of services. I am so appreciative for his ideas, support, creativity, and incredible talent.
As I gained a greater understanding of my grandpa’s philosophies on life, I realized that this project was a life lesson in and of itself. Learning goes far beyond information. It is about how we use this information and how we apply it to ourselves and our lives. Through this process I cultivated a new set of technological skills and I became a stronger leader and organizer. I enjoyed using creativity to come up with new ideas and solutions for the problems I encountered. Most of all I learned the importance and power of connecting with others. It has been incredible to create this with my grandpa. We have become closer through many meaningful discussions and conversations. He has been my biggest cheerleader as he challenged me to step up and guide this creation. I am so honored that I was able to create a website for him so he can share his wisdom and heart with everyone who has the opportunity to work with him.
Thank you,
Sedona Ortega