People Doing Good

My twitter friend Xsashagirl posted this photo on her twitter page, and I thought it was very admirable. I knew I had to blog about it!
When you have been laid off, or lost your job times are very hard. It’s good to know that this is one less thing that they will have to worry about. Kudos to this business owner!

What have you done within your community to give back?

Peace and blessings,
Michelle

 

‘Tis better to give than receive…

As stated in one of my previous posts, my friends and I adopted a young college student. He is a very humble guy, and is eager to learn from others. We took him to Old Navy on Friday to get some clothes for him. B.M. picked him up, but did not tell him why they were going to Old Navy. My wife and I met them there. When they got there my wife explained why we were there, and he was so humble, and completely amazed. He is a very inquisitive young man. He asks questions about education and other things.

At the present he wears his clothes kind of baggy, and he made the statement that as you get older, you make changes. So, we bought him some jeans that weren’t so baggy, and he seemed to like them. There was a young man in the store who was older than D. and he was giving him some advice about clothes. Telling him that when you wear your clothes properly, and you change from the “hood” look to a more professional look, you feel better about yourself. So, we are going to try to work him up to that. But for now, less baggy jeans is a start.

I am happy that we were able to help him, and I wish we could do so much more. I plan to start a Christmas fund for him next year, and take him shopping to get some of the things that he needs. In the meantime, and between time, I will try to help him out during the year. He doesn’t only have needs at Christmas time. My wife and I were talking in the car after we left Old Navy; just talking about how many D.’s there are out there. It saddens me to even think about it. For now, we’ll help the one that we know, and try to reach more and more as we move along.

Get out and help someone.

Peace and blessings

Michelle

 

Giving back…

I have been looking for a volunteer opportunity for a little while. As each day passes, I realize my need to give back. I have been blessed beyond measure. I want to reach back and help others in need. I know that there are millions of ways to give back, but I wanted something that really filled my passion. Imagine my shock when my wife sent me an email about a program that fit my passion. Her friends daughter is the director of a program for aged-out foster kids. I have finally found a program that’s geared toward what I have longed to do.

While in high school I came to the conclusion that I wanted to work with aged-out foster kids when I became an adult. I had a few friends who were in the foster care system, so I learned about what they went through first hand. I can’t believe that there are people who become foster parents just so they can get a check. They don’t have the best interest of the children at heart at all. My friends went through their lives without being taught the basic essentials in life. They didn’t know the things that they would need to prepare them for the next level in their journey.

I am so excited about this opportunity. I will meet with A.D. for an interview on the 8th of January. The next step after that is to go through a full day of training, which will take place on the 23rd of January. After that, I get to meet my mentee. I was once a “Big” in the Big Sister, Big Brother program, so I know the ropes of being a mentor, but I am sure this one will be just a little different. I am ready. I have been ready for a while now.

I will keep you all posted on my journey.

 

All I want for Christmas is…

I love the holiday season. I have since I was a child. Even though I grew up poor, I can remember some very nice Christmases…most of them having nothing to do with presents. Although I like receiving gifts, I love the feeling that’s associated with Christmas. See, even though I didn’t have much growing up, my Mom always tried to make the holiday special. I love spending time with family and friends.

As we get closer to Christmas – 22 days to be exact -I think about all the families who do not have enough money to buy food or clothes for their children…let alone presents. I think of my friend Anita who passed away last month, leaving 3 young children without a mother this holiday season. Thinking of all this let’s me know how truly blessed I am. So, my plan is to be a blessing to others this holiday season.

I plan to get gifts for each of Anita’s children this season. They are the sweetest little kids. I know this holiday will be extremely hard for them. I am glad that they have their mom’s sister to help them get through it.

My wife and her friends started a group called the PSer’s, and when I married her I was “grandfathered” in. My wife came up with the idea to pay $10 a month into an account, and at the end of the year use it for a community project. We had gone back and forth about what the project should be, until the night of Edwin and Erin’s wedding. 10 of us went to Applebee’s late that evening. Sitting around the table, S.D. started talking about a former student of the school that my wife worked at. She talked about the fact that he wore an Ohio State hoodie to UC and the kids were making fun of him. He stated that it was all he had. So, S.D. took him to the campus store and bought him a UC shirt. He is lacking in some other areas financially, so we decided that he would be our project. Those of you who have gone to college know how lean those times can be financially…especially if they were lean to begin with. I am glad that we will help him. He seems to be such a sweet person.

One of my other acts of kindness this holiday season will be to feed the homeless either on Christmas eve, or Christmas morning. I have to look for the shelters in the area to decide where I am going. I think being around those less fortunate will help me keep things in perspective. I was homeless when I was 6 years old. I know how it feels not knowing where your next meal is coming from, and it’s not a good feeling at all.

We can never forget where we come from. As we move forward, it’s so important for us to reach back and help someone else along the way!!!

Peace and Blessings,

Michelle