The same yellowing index card guided Jennifer Ford Reedy from grade school to college.
"It's nice to be important," read her mother's message, "but it's more important to be nice."
A go-getter from the outset, the president of the Bush Foundation first "went big," she said, as president of her elementary school store, overturning a deficit from a predecessor who splurged on backpacks imprinted with deer pictures.
The hard work continued, as did the titles: state representative's page, student member of the county's United Way board, National Merit recipient, Truman Scholar.
And everything was underscored by humility. The trick? That notecard from Mom, tucked into her school notebook. Whenever she saw it, she remembered to stop and question her impact.
After decades of volunteering and working in philanthropy, Reedy doesn't need the reminder. She embodies the message.
"We know she's kind of a big deal," said her sister, Tracy Ford Stacey. "We aren't sure she does."
Reedy was just 39 when she took the reins of the Bush Foundation — which has given more than $1 billion in grants to individuals and organizations across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota — four years ago. Shifting the foundation's focus to "community problem-solving," she has boosted awards for racial and economic disparities by almost 50 percent and has continued to amass accolades, including garnering a spot on the list of "40 Under 40" leaders by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and being named among "The Innovatives" (15 leaders "achieving through innovation") by TwinCities Business.