Name that title movie!
I’ve been feeling pretty philanthropic lately. I want to share some of the things that I have been involved in. Not because I want to toot my own horn or receive praise from anyone, but because I genuinely hope that hearing about my experiences will inspire you to participate in your community. If only one person is inspired then I didn’t waste my energy.
Let’s start with Doing My Part. DMP is a non-profit organization in Charlotte that raises money, $3 at a time, to give back to the community. (Please consider going to doingmypart.com and signing up for a monthly $3 donation) Here’s how it works: DMP collects $3 donations until they get to $1500. Once the pot hits $1500, that money is donated to a project and the ticker immediately starts over to collect money for the next project. DMP is very new, as we just completed our first project on August 11. And let me tell you, it was an awesome project.
DMP teamed up with Samaritan’s Feet to give shoes, socks, and book bags with basic school supplies to homeless children in Charlotte. We went to the women and children’s homeless shelter where we washed their feet, gave them a brand new pair of shoes and socks, and then sent them on their way with some new school supplies. It was a really awesome experience.
The cool thing about DMP is that you are a member of one organization, but you get to be involved in all kinds of things around the community. They are involved in helping the homeless, veteran assistance, cancer fundraising/support, and so on. They put a lot of effort into surveying the community, vetting organizations, and making sure their time and money is going to the most urgent needs.
Every other Sunday DMP’s Street Team teams up with Serve Charlotte’s Homeless to comb the streets of Uptown for homeless people, handing out food and toiletries. I have only had the opportunity to participate in this once, but I can’t recommend it enough. It’s really an eye opening experience that can change your outlook if you let it. If you’re interested in being a member of the Doing My Part Street Team or just donating $3 a month to be one of our heroes, let me know and I’ll point you in the right direction! If they can get 10,000 heroes we can do one project a month. Imagine how many people we could help!
Something else I participated in recently was Habitat for Humanity. I know everyone is familiar with this one and it’s actually kind of challenging to volunteer for them without being part of an organization that makes a donation to the build. This is the second time I have had the opportunity to work with Habitat and both experiences were incredibly different. But what’s cool about Habitat is that you’re working on a house side by side with the family that’s going to own it when it’s completed. That alone is enough to inspire me to want to help out people in different ways. There are so many organizations in every community that are in place to assist those less fortunate. The hardest part about helping out is deciding which one you want to donate your time to.
Just today I signed up, for the second year, to volunteer as a staff member for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in October. This experience is always cool because there are so many survivors who are so excited to be there. My mom is currently battling stage 4 breast cancer so this event is very close to my heart and always an uplifting experience. Organizations like this have a lot of paid help so my job isn’t always significant in task, but the most important part of volunteering for an organization like this is being a cheerleader. You have no idea how much the participants, the survivors, and the fighters appreciate it. That’s enough to make it worth my time.
I challenge you to find a cause that’s important to you and support the shit out of it. There are various causes that are close to my heart for various reasons and I can’t afford to donate money to all of them, but sometimes my time is more valuable. Decide what you can afford to do and take action. Your community needs you!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Ghandi
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