A week before we launched The Magic Hour series, we were in the final stages of planning a small gathering at SoBou to celebrate the occasion. I had been thinking about a memento to leave guests, but didn’t know if we would have enough time to coordinate. Then I remembered a very unique parting gift my banker Charles Gaspard shared with me a few months earlier. He gave me a wooden thank you note to remember our conversation. He also shared the company name, Harley London, and owner and visionary of this piece, Charlotte Henry.
I checked out the Harley London website and stumbled upon their blog. The most recent post was relevant to what we were working towards with The Magic Hour. I picked up the phone immediately to call Charlotte. After a brief conversation, I could feel a powerful connection forming. When discussing the project idea with Charlotte, she asked me to send her an email detailing why I wanted to do the piece, the meaning I wanted it have, and the purpose it would serve. Once we hung up, I went straight to the computer to send her this note. We agreed to meet over the weekend to discuss the project further. The positive energy from this conversation and sharing in person the hopes I had for the wooden piece left me extremely excited for what Charlotte was about to create. The day before the launch party, Charlotte dropped off her work. The pieces were perfect and I couldn’t have been happier with how the project came together. She created a wooden token piece with The Magic Hour logo on one side, and a special meaning embossed on the other. Four different tokens were created, each including a different element of the MARV acronym we use to discuss human flourishing and wellbeing. The elements include Meaning, Accomplishment, Relationships, and Vitality. To fit nicely on the tokens, we used the word Resilience to replace Accomplishment, and Connection to replace Relationships. A pair of glass beads surrounded each word to display the good luck message felt from catching two different pairs of glass beads during Mardi Gras 2017.
Many people who work in the realm of college visits try to differentiate each visit from the hundreds of others out there. Charlotte Henry’s work is an ideal example of creating a meaningful keepsake for visitors as she did for me in creating The Magic Hour token. This is no average trinket, and those I have shared the token and its story with are clearly moved by receiving this unique piece. The piece becomes the meaning, story, and memorable moment to build a stronger connection with others. As unique as each college can be in its histories, values, and traditions, I encourage you to find the artists on your campus and let them create, just like Charlotte Henry, to help you differentiate your visit experience.