Today I, along with my daughter Heather, had the pleasure of giving of our time and ourselves to give back to a small community through a wonderful organization, the United Way.
I know some of you are rolling your eyes at the mere mention of the United Way. Yes, this is the organization that comes to our places of employment,
tugs at our heart strings for a money commitment from employees then in turn our employer pleads for all of us to contribute.
I use to be one of those eye rollers in my younger days. Thankfully I grew up and out of my self-centered stage of life. Okay… back to the theme of this blog (more on me me me in a Blog post later ~smiles~)
This morning was spent painting hallways, stairwells and baseboards in an old converted school that lives on today as a Civic Center. This center is there for this small community in Mascoutah IL. The center serves as the tornado and severe weather shelter, takes children in after school and feeds many of them dinner after they do their homework. Some of the children would not get anything to eat if it wasn’t for the lunches at school and suppers at the Civic Center. It is an activity center for older folks where they can enjoy card games and serious games of washers (it’s a mid west thing),TV’s, wii game system, exercise equipment (brand spanking state of the art new) and many other activities for kids of all ages. NO ONE gets turned away.
Last year, my husband and I donned our paint clothes and painted small bedrooms in the Violence Prevention Center. The VPC was a safe house for woman and their children that are in abusive relationships and have no where to go. They house these women, children and families, and help put their broken spirits back together. They help them find employment, permanent housing, counseling, clothing to begin a career so that they can survive on their own.
How are these wonderful places supported? Mostly through the United Way and the kindness of others.
In a few days the United Way is kicking off their 2010 campaign with the company I work for, Allsup. I am excited to make my bi-monthly contribution to this wonderful charity.
Think about what a difference you could make in the life of another when you are approached to make your contribution.
BTW –
Project Heart is what Frank and I call our monthly commitment of finding some way to give back to those in need as a thank you for all we have.
