Randy Delanzo Graise was born February 2, 1967 in Vicksburg, Mississippi with two broken legs and a broken arm.  Doctors were sure that the defects would ultimately result in his fatality.  They advised his parents, Carrie and Leon Graise to leave him in the hospital to die.  They expected his life span to not be longer than two weeks.

Refusing to believe the grim prognosis, Randy’s parents decided to take him home and care for him as they had their other children.  After Randy showed no signs of giving up his fight for life, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan.  There, doctors diagnosed his muscular skeletal condition as Osteogenesis Imperfecta.  Osteogenesis is a genetic soft tissue disorder caused by a mutated gene.  Though the condition was not a fatal one, it would make life exceptionally challenging for Randy.  He was sure to endure a life of broken bones, pain, and other physical challenges.  In 1970, the odds against Randy stacked even higher when his father died a victim of a violent crime, leaving his mother to raise the three children alone.

Randy was enrolled in an orthopedic school at the age of four.  He demonstrated early on that he was gifted.  As he went through his elementary school program, school administrators decided to advance Randy two grades in one school year.  Later, during his middle school years, Randy was mainstreamed into the general student population and once again had to overcome a whole new world of challenges, both physical and mental.

In high school, Randy continued to impress his educators and peers alike.  He became known for his quick wit and inviting personality.  While excelling in his college prep courses, Randy was active in many extra-curricular activities in school such as the yearbook staff, drama club, and the school radio staff.  During his senior year, Randy enrolled in a computer console operations course in a vocational school.  Like other challenges, the added responsibility proved no match for him.  He not only completed the course, but also was accepted into the Business Office Education Club, a program that supports careers in a business environment.

Outside of school, Randy was active in Exploring, the young adult division of the Boy Scouts of America.  He was a member of the only group of its kind in the country for youth with physical disabilities.  There too he exceeded expectations.  After only one year in the program, Randy was named president of the group and represented the program across the country.  He is twice the recipient of the prestigious youth award from the Boy Scouts of America known as the Bronze Bighorn Award for outstanding achievements in scouting.  Randy continued his commitment to scouting by volunteering as an adult advisor and led a general interest Explorer post (group) for two years.  This group was active in charity events, neighborhood cleanup projects and a series of character building and leadership training.  With Randy’s leadership and community support, the local community council named the group Youth Group of the Year.

Randy began his professional career in 1986 when he went to work for the local telephone company.  He started in the business as a data entry clerk and was moved to the position of staff support person for a group of managers.  Later he went on to become an operator, a staff member of the company’s advertising department, a customer service representative, and was finally promoted to management in 1995.

As a manager, Randy was faced with a new challenge: leading a diverse group of employees in a fast changing industry.  Relying on his experience in the business and human relations skills, Randy found his team of employees growing from a starting number of 12 to as many as 40.  It was clear that this gifted young man had the ability to influence people from all walks of life to meet their goals and recognize their inner gifts. 

While he was adjusting to his new profession, Randy felt he needed to stay in touch with his community.  This time, Randy extended himself to Big Brothers/Big Sisters.  He was matched with an at-risk 13 years old boy.  Since their match in 1996, Randy and his ‘little brother’ Michael have developed a positive, progressive relationship.  As a result, Randy was named Big Brother of the Year in 1997.  One year later, with Randy’s mentorship, Michael showed such outstanding progress in his citizenship and academic achievements in school that he was named Little Brother of the Year in 1998.

After just two years of working as a manager in the telephone company’s call center environment, Randy shocked everyone with the announcement that he was leaving corporate America to venture out on his own.  He was ready to risk it all and pursue his dream of becoming a professional speaker.  On April 9, 1997 Randy said goodbye to his telecommunications career and started the professional speaking and training business RanDel Enterprises.

Now Randy is sharing with his audiences not only his infectious ‘you can’ attitude, but he also is mixing in his blend of ‘how to’ strategies.   His motivational programs are unforgettable and high impacting.  Schools, community groups, and agencies working with youth find his presentations hard to beat.  And when he is not lecturing, Randy is delivering his pre-employment and job retention training workshops to persons with and without disabilities.