Summer 2004. The U.S. Olympic women’s relay team was focused and fast. Commentators said that if they just showed up to the finals, they would walk away with the gold.

But in the final round, the unthinkable happened. Marion Jones failed to complete the pass to Lauren Williams. Because of a missed baton pass, the race was lost. Because the race was lost, the gold medal was lost—for these two athletes, perhaps forever.

The race of life isn’t a 100-yard-dash. It’s a relay. You only win when you pass the baton to the next generation—to your children, to the young people around you in your church, school, at work and in your neighborhood.

Each generation only gets one shot at it. The great historian Will Durant said, “From barbarism to civilization requires a century. From civilization to barbarism needs but a day.”

Passing the Baton International exists to mobilize one million adults to intentionally prepare the next generation for culture-shaping leadership. We have developed a five-step strategy to train one million adults for this cause by the year 2015. Will you join us?