Why I believe it’s important to give back
Yoplait has pink lids on the top of their yogurt and if you send them in to Save Lids to Save Lives Yoplait will donate $.10 for each cover.
I have a tiny pile on my kitchen counter and ever so often I send them out. Last week I told my son to put his “lid” on the counter so I could mail it. He read the lid and quite firmly said, “Mom, they are trying to raise $1.5 million dollars. How can our few lids even help?”
Jordan’s 12 and to him $.10 to get to $1.5 million is “impossible”. So I had to tell him a little story about why I think it’s so important to give back even if it is only $.10 at a time.
When I was about a year old than him (13) my best friend, Jenna, was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of leukemia. Jenna was one of two girls in family of (oh, about 9 kids) so the medical bills were a hardship on her family (this I overheard from my parents). The town we lived in had about 200 people and one Catholic church, which most people attended.
At 13 I remember sitting in church thinking that if every family in the church gave a mere $5.00 that would raise a considerable amount of money for her parents (based on my rough calculations during the sermon I figured that would be about $500 – def a small fortune to a 13 year old). But what I didn’t understand is why our Priest never took up a special collection for the family.
Within a few short months Jenna died and the next year, at the mark of the one year anniversary of her death, I was brave enough to ask the Priest if we could “surprise” Jenna’s parents during Mass with a special song for her. He agreed and I rounded up all her closest friends so we could sing a special song in her memory.
While what I did at 14 by getting a few friends together to sing isn’t monumental by anyone’s standards (except to a child) I can still clearly remember the warmth and surprise on her parent’s faces as we finished our song. In our own way we made a huge impact on someone else.
To this day I’m the type of person who will always go to “bat” for the underdog and help out people and causes that resonate with me. Yes….my yogurt lid only raises $.10 but can I help a greater cause? Can I get Yoplait $.10 closer to their goal of $1.5 million? Will I make a difference in someone’s life….yes…I know I will.
And that, dear Jordan, is why I believe it’s important to give back – because I lost my best friend when I was about your age and I’ve never forgotten her.
What steps, even if small, can you take today to give back to a cause greater than you are?
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Michelle! This is a beautiful post. I’m teary eyed writing my comment for you.
How blessed Jordan is to have you for a Mom…modeling making a difference the way you do.
Kids need those examples. And to receive them from their parents is an incredible gift.
I know you personally…I know you *are* the girl who goes to bat…every time; lending a helping hand, connecting peeps who need to be connected.
You rock, Michelle. You do indeed make a difference. If it’s $.10 at a time, so be it.
Debra´s last blog ..Autumn’s Influence ~ Nature’s Gateway
Deb – thanks for the comment. Honestly, I was teary eyed writing that post last night, especially as I played the Michael W Smith song over and over and over as I was writing it.
It was a revealing and heartfelt post but had to be shared in order to get my “message” across.
I’m honored and blessed to know you and have you and Mark in my social and “real” life.
Michelle
I love these tangible examples of how little things make a big difference. And thank god for you that you marked the aniversary of your friend’s death in a positive way for her family. Her church should have taken care of her. I’m happy that you found a way to make that difference.
You should write a book about this!
Bridget´s last blog ..The Month of Practical Intuition
Bridget – thank you for the comment. Although this is primarily a business blog I felt it important to write about giving back because even businesses need to give back – through their business or through their personal life.
Ah, so many books simmering in my mind! Someday I will write them all. This one sad, some funny.
Great story Michelle!
Mark´s last blog ..Most People Use the Internet for Local Communication
Mark – thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment to let me know that you were here. I really appreciate your kind words.
Twitter: TargetStars
November 3, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Michelle,
I thoroughly enjoyed this post (gotta love a girl that goes to “bat” for the the underdog)! I love the fact that you did not accept ‘no’ as an answer and took action to remember your friend. All it takes is one person to step up to the plate and that can give others the courage to follow. Thanks for sharing this story and reminding us all to give back!
LaTosha:
I heard on the radio today that http://www.volunteer.org is up and running in our area. I used that site, when I used to live in Milwaukee, to find a volunteer position. I’m excited to see what may also be open in our area that would allow both me and Jordan to give back through volunteer work. I also used to work at the animal shelter but it was “too hard” on me. I honestly wanted to take all the animals home.
Thanks for stopping by! I think my “underdog” often overrides my senses sometimes!
Michelle
I so agree with you! At IAC-EZ, the web-based bookkeeping service I’m a part of, we implemented a ‘giving back’ program. We give $1 for each new subscriber who signs up. Each month we give to a different charity. A $1 may not seem like a lot, but it adds up and any amount you can give it worth it.
Thanks for reminding us all of the joy and benefits of giving back.
Heather – that is great to hear. Do people see that you give back when they come to your website? I should check that out. I’m heading to Denver for a Millionaire Mind (T. Harv Eker) this weekend. One of the principals he teaches is that 10% of all income should be given back to a charity of choice. I have a spreadsheet set up for myself so I can easily keep track of how much I need to give back. Admittedly I’ve been a little lax about it recently since funds have been tight. But I am committed to doing as he suggests.
Hats off to you for giving back through all subscriptions to your accounting software!
Michelle – Yes we do have a way for visitors to our site to see what we give back. We actually post how much is given each month and to what charity. You can see it here – https://www.iacez.com/givingback. There is also a link on the front page so it’s easy to find.
As always I came for the pic and ended up loving the story. You are awesome Michelle and I hope Jordan understands that.
People today lack the best part of humanity and that’s compassion and empathy. We see it in our daily news stories, in our politics and we can see it in our kids. We get so wrapped up in our worlds we forget that there is whole planet of people out there that may not be in the same moment we’re in. Thanks for reminding us why we should give our time, money and commitments to help other people who need it.
OOH now I need to read this really cool tip on deleting duplicate date.. *wink*
Tim:
It is so important to give back to a cause that is “bigger” than we are. Where would we be as a world if we only stayed “wrapped up” in our own worlds? It certainly would not be what it is today…without giving….without stepping out and helping others our world would certainly be less than what it is today.
PS: Hope the Excel tip on how to delete duplicate data was helpful to you!
Rock on!
Michelle