Post by Juan Ortiz, M.B.A.

My first mentor was a Hall of Famer, an unapologetic force of will, and the man who taught me how to turn scars into superpowers. For 40 years, Jorge Alfaro has been the "face" of Chicago Adaptive Sports. But the real man isn't the one on the posters. The real man just recorded a 2.5-hour, unfiltered conversation that starts off with kids finding a gun at a birthday party, a $100,000 hospital bill paid just $5 at a time, a felony arrest, and a disastrous "avocado shirt" incident. A collection of stories that contribute to the Grit that makes Jorge the man he is today. I'm incredibly proud to launch "Chicago Grit," a new series from the Chicago Adaptive Sports Foundation (https://lnkd.in/eHcMvwx) dedicated to the real, unfiltered stories from our community. We're starting with Jorge. As a "sneak peek" for our upcoming pilot episode, I've pulled some powerful themes from our conversation to build these 5 unbreakable lessons in resilience. This is the blueprint he built, and it's a masterclass in fortitude. This series is for anyone who's ever had to get up, fight back, and push forward. #ChicagoGrit #ChicagoAdaptiveSports #Resilience #Mentorship #Leadership #AdaptiveSports #WheelchairBasketball