This blog post is sponsored by TIAA All thoughts expressed are my own.

You know those moments when you start thinking about those people who have really impacted your life? I just had one of those moments recently. Probably because I came across her photos on facebook, ha. Whatever the reason, I just took a minute and thought about how much she has encouraged me and made a difference in my life, whether she knows it or not. I’m totally going to embarrass her now, but she needs a little lime light shed on her, its well deserved. My beautiful cousin, Jessica.

This girl is one of the most selfless people I know. For as long as I can remember, Jessica has always aimed to bring people together. It makes perfect sense that she is 9 years deep into her nursing career.

I’ve seen the hard work  and level of commitment that has gone into achieving her goals, and that just stirs up my soul with encouragement. Even during her darkest moments, and long (sometimes thankless) hours spent caring for others, she has remained joyful and strong. I want to be just like her “when I grow up” 🙂

This is why I desperately want to urge Jess to nominate herself for the TIAA Difference Maker 100 program!

For the last 100 years, TIAA has created a sustainable retirement system for teachers. Today they are the leader in serving the financial needs of people in academic, government, medical, cultural and other nonprofit fields. To celebrate this wonderful centennial anniversary, TIAA is recognizing 100 people who work for nonprofit organizations and are having a positive impact on the world. Giving them the opportunity to receive $10,000 to help support the nonprofit where they’re making a difference. So yeah, that is $1 million in donations to 100 people! Such an amazing opportunity to make a difference where you are!

I know some of you are reading this and already have that person in mind. Don’t ignore the chance to tell them about this! This could really make a difference for the nonprofit they work for. To be honest, TIAA is one of the companies that really cares about giving back to the community. This is such a great way to be intentional where we are. If you know of anyone that would be a great fit for this program, tell them to nominate themselves :). Best of luck to you all!

XOXO, terri