Why I Serve

"Why I Serve"

I want to serve God. I want to serve God by encouraging collaboration among the areas in which our best and brightest often get stuck: Between giftedness and mental illness. Between giftedness and Autism. Between giftedness and ADHD. Between Autism and ADHD. Between learning disabilities and high ability. Between strengths and challenges. Between being seen as bright not broken.

My “Why” is to follow God into uncharted territory by getting experts from different fields together to share research and stories. To open their minds so they recognize they share some of the same populations. To force them out of isolation into partnership. To shift their attention from deficits to strengths. To make them aware of the importance of accounting for the whole person in both diagnosis and education.

My “Why” is to promote and fund our nonprofit, Bright Not Broken—a 501c3 dedicated to the twice exceptional individual—someone who is both bright, creative, or talented while struggling with a deficit. Most twice-exceptional, or 2e, people wrestle with hidden challenges that mask their ability to express their talents and ultimately compromise their quality of life. Our goal is to improve their lives through a whole-child approach to diagnosis and intervention that focuses on their strengths and supports their challenges-- thereby maximizing their opportunities for success.

My “Why,” as ambitious as it sounds, is to change the mental health and education systems, which often trap 2e people in lives filled with failed relationships, lost jobs, and constant frustration. My “Why” is to help the world see these individuals as Bright Not Broken.

What's your "Why?"

Rebecca S. Banks