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Jim McIngvale applaused graduates on their achievement. |
McIngvale Challenges Graduates to Overcome Adversity
(May 2009) On the night before his scheduled address to the Westbury Christian School graduates, well-known Houston businessman Jim McIngvale suffered a terrible tragedy – his Houston landmark furniture warehouse went up in flames to the tune of several millions of dollars. As the community rallied their support around McIngvale, it would have been easily understood if he would have not been able to make it.
But McIngvale was there and so was a host of television media. In a poignant speech, McIngvale told the 51 WCS graduates and hundreds of guests, “I made a commitment to be here and I was brought up to honor my commitments.” He described the series of events leading up to the fire and shared that as the warehouse was burning, he and his employees gathered around and held hands and prayed. McIngvale said that while he felt really bad about the fire, he was thankful that none of his employees had been hurt.
McIngvale used his personal tragedy to challenge the WCS graduates to overcome their own adversity. He said, “One of the toughest things you’ll have to do in this life is to overcome adversity.” He said while the fire would be a huge setback for his business, he was confident that he would be able to rebuild and grow again. McIngvale’s message hit home and was received with a standing ovation.
Westbury Christian School is a private, college preparatory, fully accredited, culturally diverse school offering unique educational opportunities for pre-k, elementary, middle and high school students. The school is located at 10420 Hillcroft at Willowbend.
For more information contact Ann Arnold in the Admissions Office at 713-551-8100.
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