One Person Making a Difference

We often forget or underestimate what one person can do to make a big difference in other peoples lives. As a  business leader or as a good citizen leader each of us can make life a whole lot better for others. Are you doing enough?

FROM A VISION OF ONE . . . TO A REALITY OF FOURTEEN HUNDRED!

I have for years supported the United Way and I continue to be impressed with what this great organization does for our community.  I continue to meet people from the agencies who truly inspire me on a personal level.  It makes me know that I could do more, and it makes me think about whether I am giving back enough of my time and money to those in need.

A few years ago I heard Ms. Carol Kane give a presentation on what her organization, The Mustard Seed Furniture Bank, does for the community.  Years ago she had a goal of helping one family a year furnish their home with furniture and supplies,  so they could get back on their feet after some terrible thing happened to them such as an uninsured fire, or just plain bad luck with unemployment, or other emergencies.

Ms. Kane started by putting an ad in the paper asking for people to donate things to her, and she stored them in her garage and spare bedroom.  Then she was able to help that first family get back on their feet.

Her simple goal is to “make life better for someone else.” Just a few years ago I read where her organization had fully furnished 1400 homes in Orlando, and she averages 100 a month . . . and this is still growing.  She now includes toys for the children and things for them that they can decorate their rooms with so that they will be proud of their rooms.  This builds their self- esteem and self-confidence.

Clothes are also available and all of the accessories like plates, silverware, glasses and other things needed to run a home.  She has even negotiated an agreement with local drug stores to give these families free over-the-counter drugs like children’s Tylenol, as well as diapers and baby formula.  She recently added free eye exams and free glasses for these same groups of people.  Carol just “plain-old” helps families get back on their feet.  I was very moved by her passion, commitment, and drive to help others!

She said one thing that I will never forget.  She said, “Can you imagine Orlando without the United Way and without the United Way agencies?  Can you imagine if all of these 400,000 people that the agencies and the United Way help had no place to turn and were out on the streets? You would not be able to go out on the streets because they would be lined with homeless, sick, hungry people; and you would not want to be out on the streets.  It would be very dangerous.  We have to have the United Way,  and we have to have these agencies.  There is no choice.  We must have them.”

Carol said it a lot better than I recounted it here; but I can tell you that she is right.  I know that just because we can’t see all of the misery that does not mean that it is not there.

The message here is that one person who is committed can really make a huge difference.

The best part of Carol’s story for me was when she told us about a family who was getting their furniture delivered to their new home (which she helped them get into).  When the little boy’s mattress came off of the truck, he kissed the mattress from one end to the other because he had never slept in a bed before!   . . . Lee