In that moment, her parents turned the car around and decided to reach out to Michael Oher.
This year, the Delta Gamma Lectureship in Values and Ethics was hosted by Collins Tuohy of the Tuohy family, the family portrayed in the film “The Blind Side.”
The third annual lecture was held in the Whittenberger Auditorium on Monday night. The lectureship program is specific to Delta Gamma.
Separate from the sorority’s national philanthropy, Aid to the Blind and Sight Conservation, the lecture series brings national speakers to campuses nationwide, according to Delta Gamma’s website.
Last year’s lectureship brought Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run, a ?nonprofit that promotes healthy development for young girls.
Delta Gamma Director of Lectureship Molly Newell sought out Tuohy to continue with the theme of female empowerment. She also wanted a speaker who would draw in both men and women and thought that the Tuohy family’s sports background would interest a wide audience.
“Her message on the power of giving was really important to me,” Newell said. “I wanted something that would inspire other people to pay it forward.”
Tuohy spoke about what her family was up to now, the accuracy of the movie and her family’s overall philosophy on the “givers” and “takers” of the world.
“My message is not to tell you to adopt a 6’5’’, 350-pound teen,” Tuohy said. “My message is this: There is something that you can do to positively affect someone else’s life.”
Tuohy addressed the publicity that Oher has received and the assumption that he “hit the lottery” by being adopted by the Tuohy family.
When Oher was in high school, he was marked by the government as a “runner,” which is essentially equivalent to being homeless, Tuohy said.
Less than a year after the Tuohy’s welcomed Oher into their family, Oher was the one of the best players in Tennessee. Now, Oher is an offensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL.
“If you have somebody who so obviously should have been valued and every single person missed them — then who are we missing?” Tuohy said. “Who are you placing inappropriate value on everyday?”
Tuohy spoke about how easy it is to pass by people and make snap decisions about their worth based on prejudgments. This message in particular also inspired Newell in bringing Tuohy to campus, she said.
“I hope people are inspired to know how capable they are to do something for somebody else,” Newell said. “People can take away just how important it is to put other people first sometimes. Everyone can learn the power of an open mind and the power of giving.”
During the final question and answer portion, Tuohy was asked how her community reacted to Oher being adopted and if it was accurately represented in the movie.
Tuohy said that the adults, more so than the students in her community, were confused by the family’s outreach. This is reflected in the library scene in “The Blind Side.”
Public opinion did not deter the Tuohy family, though, because everything they gave to Oher they received back tenfold, Tuohy said.
“Giving is an addictive feeling,” Tuohy said. “In our home, Christmas was every day.”
