June is a quirky month:  it has no overwhelming holiday celebrations that involve candy or costumes or sudden weight gain. In fact, the one holiday that most people associate with June is Father’s Day, with charming ties and handmade cards given out to fathers, grandfathers, and supportive men who might as well be fathers for all that they do out of love. However, if we take a second look at the word father, and dance back through the centuries to the Latin root, Pater, a different concept grows from the same vine: patronage.

The idea of patronage is simply the concept of supporting someone in their endeavors to make the world a better place. That can come in the everyday form of a patron at a local store; it can come through donations as a patron of the arts; it can come in the more lofty form of a community patron, one who ushers in programming for the power of good in schools or local organizations like Kiwanis or the Rotary.

I have often spoken of the need for us all to have a tribe, an innermost circle of trusted people with whom we share our personal and professional goals so that everyone might benefit from having a handful of connected individuals. However, if we look to ourselves to serve as leader of our tribe, it is in some sense serving as a patron, one who oversees a small community and lends support to causes that matter.

This month, as we hit the halfway mark of 2024, I ask you: who else could you include in your circle? How can you more effectively connect the people in your life to make the world a better place? How do you view your patronage, what cause is important enough to you to spend a lifetime in dedication to that outlet?

As summer unfolds, I hope that answer comes clear for you and that you find yourself at the center of your circle, a patron of what matters to you. These long days ahead of us with sunlit afternoons and warm evenings are perfect for spending with friends and family, guiding your plans to make the world a better place. Onward!