Inspiration! Make 2010 the year to pay it forward....

It's finally here! The Extreme Makeover Home Addition Buffalo is airing this Sunday night at 8:00PM. Apparently we had the highest volunteer turnout in Makeover history! Although I'm not surprised. This city really steps up to the plate for people in need. This show was such an amazing experience to be part of and let me tell you why besides the obvious of getting to work side by side with Ty Pennington. Yes, ladies he is just as amazing in person! What was really cool about this show was its ability to inspire. I believe there were over 6000 volunteers working on this project, but not just the Powell home. Thanks to David Homes, the builder, and PUSH Buffalo, an organization which Delores Powell helped start, they decided just helping one family wasn't enough. They wanted to transform an entire neighborhood! I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with the Executive Producer of the show, who, by the way is so passionate about what they're doing and the people they're helping. He really wants to save the world one house at a time. Anyway, I was complimenting him on how great it was that he was transforming not just the Powell house, but the entire neighborhood and he said he couldn't take the credit, that it was David Homes who said they wouldn't take on this project unless the show would agree to let them do more than this one home- cool, huh?! So they started going door to door and asking their neighbors what they needed done on their homes and they did it. They gave someone who had no indoor plumbing for 2 years and had been using a hose for water an entire indoor plumbing system. They replaced roofs, siding, sidewalks, painted beautiful murals over buildings that had been tagged, added parks, rebuilt condemned houses and so much more. And it's still going on! PUSH Buffalo made it their personal mission to keep this going and bring pride back to the westside neighborhoods. Have you been to the Westside lately? There are some pretty amazing transformations going on there.
It's all about finding your gifts and talents and using them to help others which is what I've done with Wear 'n Share. Here's another example, a gentleman by the name of Dorian Gaskin who lives here in Buffalo teaches his trade to others and brought together other people like him with plumbing experience, carpentry, etc., anyone who had a talent they were willing to donate time to teach others and started an organization to get people who are unemployed the skills to find jobs and get back into the workforce and earning a living for their family. These people take their God-given talents and share them with others to help families in need. What are your talents? How can you use them to help others? Think about it. You can make a difference just by choosing to do so. So figure out what you're going to do this year to make 2010 your year of giving back.
I'll leave you with one more story about a woman who contacted me to volunteer for Wear 'n Share. She said her husband had been without a job for a year and she was working 3 jobs, one her own delivery business, trying to keep the family afloat. She knew things were tough for them, but she told me there are families out there that have it so much worse than they do, so she wanted to help me make deliveries. This is a family Wear 'n Share should be helping, but instead she took her talents (a delivery service) and decided to help families who are worse off than they are.
People like her and Dorian Gaskin, and David Homes and PUSH Buffalo. These are some of the heroes that inspire me to be a better person, to want to use my talents to help families in need. I'm hoping hearing about their good work will inspire you too. We all have the ability to make an impact on this world. What will yours be?

A "feel good day".

Today was a good day! Periodically I make deliveries to organizations that can utilize items I receive that don't fit my specific request needs. Today was the day to make those deliveries. I started with Everywoman Opportunity Center. They help women who have suffered hardships and are trying to start their lives over. They work on their interviewing skills, provide counselling, and also have a clothing closet which provides interviewing attire. Career clothing isn't necessarily what I'm in need of for the families Wear 'n Share helps so when I get these items in I pull them aside for this organization. My second stop was to the Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo. They were happy to find homes for our dance apparel and baseball pants and equipment we've received over the past few months. While there I was pleased to learn they were affiliated with CASA, a social service agency which has been on my radar, but I had not contacted yet. I passed along some marketing information to let them know about Wear 'n Share and what we do and they were very excited about using our services. Yeah! So a great connection was made to reach more children in need!
Last, but certainly not least, I stopped by St. Luke's Mission of Mercy. They are an amazing group who take in anyone, and I mean anyone, in need of help. They've helped so many people who would have nowhere else to turn and they take ANYTHING you are willing to donate as long as you can get it to them, which can sometimes be tricky, but once you've done it a few times you get the system down and get to know the right people. So, when I get items that don't actually fit the needs of the families I work with or I don't have the room to store, St. Luke's can benefit from these donations. I always leave there feeling enlightened somehow. I truly admire the work they're doing.
So today will definitely go down as a "feel good day". Delivery days always are, but there's something special about connecting with others who see the necessity for helping those who need help. There are some pretty amazing people out there and it restores your faith in humanity. Thank you for giving me the gift of this day.

Wear 'n Share made the news!

Yesterday was a really cool day! Erica Brason, Channel 2 News Anchor, interviewed me for their Good Neighbor Segment on Saturday Daybreak. It will be airing on January 23rd, sometime between 9-10:30AM. It was a great opportunity for me to talk about Wear 'n Share and hopefully reach more families in need and bring in more donations to help them. Yeah!!!! And of course I put in a plug for a larger space. Please, please let me reach someone who has an empty building they'd like to donate for this worthy cause.
On task for tomorrow....marketing. This week was a slow week for requests and no donations are coming in with our site closed until the 15th. A week like this causes me to panic a little. Am I not reaching enough people? Do I need more contacts? How do I find the families in need? I know I need a slow week every once in awhile to motivate me to contact more organizations and referrals. I think it's God's way of ensuring I keep my head in the game. There are so many worthy organizations out there who could use Wear 'n Share's services, so find them, share your vision with them, and reach the people who need our help. And so I will.

By providing for one, we can bring joy to many.

In my last excerpt I talked about the girl who needed a coat, so I put my plans aside for a day to put her needs first. And as always, by putting someone else first I was pleasantly taken care of in return.
I had two locations where my counselor worked out of and I couldn't get ahold of her to find out where to bring the items for this girl. I called my contact from Child & Family Services who originally connected me with her to see if she knew what location this counselor was working at on Friday. She said she wasn't sure, but I could drop the items off with her and someone from her organization would ensure they made it the client. Oh, and by the way, we'd like to give you 200 brand new books from an author who recently visited our organization if you're interested. Heck yeah! And what wonderful books they are! They're titled "So...what Color Were the Dinosaurs, Anyway?". It's a delightful twist to the idea that dinosaurs might have led to the birds we see today and even provides coloring pages at the end for children to create their own uniquely colored dinos. It's a great book about possibilities, dreams, and using the imagination. What a fabulous way to take children away for a little while and let them create their own world of dinosaurs. And now thanks to C&FS I can pass along this temporary relief from life's chaos to 200 children for them to enjoy. By providing for one, we can bring joy to many.

Putting life in perspective... what's really important?

I'm obsessive compulsive. Yes, I admit it. Not severely enough to need psychological help, but enough that it probably is the root of my migraines, but that's a topic for another day. There are benefits to being OCD. I'm very organized, my house is usually clean, and I'm usually the first person to respond to teacher's requests in my kids take home folders. But there are days like today where it can be an obstacle. When I have a plan for the day, I don't adapt well to change. I had plans for today, BIG plans. I was going to catch up on my piles of laundry, clean up the kid's playroom which has been in disarray for a week, get in a hardy workout (New Year's Resolution), go to the grocery store and make a few meals to freeze and keep for later. But last night I received an email from Child & Family Services Stanley G. Falk School looking for help for one of their students. It's an urgent request, a young girl who has been coming to school without a coat and in need of some other cold weather items like sweaters and pants, hats and mittens. I was just downtown yesterday making my deliveries and I usually make all deliveries once a week, but occasionally there's a situation like this one that requires immediate attention. So do I let my OCD control me and keep my very important plans intact or do I let life interrupt me to put someone else's needs first? I guess my laundry will still be there tomorrow and my kid's playroom can be messy for one more day, and the grocery store can wait, and my New Year's Resolution can start tomorrow and my family can eat boxed macaroni and cheese for dinner. I can change someones life today, give them warmth with a new coat and hope that they're going to be okay and let them know someone cares. Yes, I think my needs can wait until tomorrow.

The joy of giving...

Whoever came up with the phrase, "the joy of giving" really knew what they were talking about. There is no greater high than the feeling I receive every time I make a delivery to a family or child in need. So I'm starting this blog to share a little of that joy with you in hopes that you will find your own way to pay it forward or join me in my quest to give children hope for a future beyond the impoverished life they are in.

I'll begin by telling you a little about myself and how this journey started. I'm married with two children. As a mother, I discovered what a blessing our children are and how I would do anything to care for and protect my kids and to ensure they have the best I can provide for them. Seems pretty simple... love them, feed them, shelter them, and provide them with an education so they can go on to lead their own happy lives. (and hopefully give me grandchildren someday :) ) But this formula isn't so simple for many families who are homeless, suffering from job losses, disabilities, or just struggling to make ends meet. I felt compelled to help those families who can't help themselves. But how? What's my mission?

The idea of Wear 'n Share first came to light for me when I was at the Pediatrician's office with my children and I read an article about a teacher who said she had students who couldn't attend her school because their parents couldn't afford shoes for them to wear. Are you kidding me? If we don't find a way to keep these kids in school, how will we ever break the cycle of poverty for them? But what can I do? I'm just a mom, just one person. Can I make a difference? YES! I have 2 children with closets full of clothing and shoes that no longer fit them. There's 2 children's lives my family can personally affect. We can change the lives of 2 kids in this world! How cool is that?! And then I got to thinking about all the other moms with bags of clothing in their basements that their kids aren't wearing anymore. If I could get them to donate their items we could affect thousands of children's lives. Think of the difference we could make if we would all come together to help!

So I sent out email blasts to all my friends and family and told them to tell all their friends and family that I had this idea and I needed their help. It won't cost anything, just give me what you're not using anymore and I'll find a way to get it to the families who need it the most. That was step 2. Once the donations started coming in, I started contacting schools, churches, counselors, organizations, anyone who worked with or helped children in need to let them know Wear 'n Share is here to help. And once people started doing a little research and realized I was a legitimate ministry, the calls started flooding in, and the more the calls came the more the donations came. I'm so grateful to live in area where we have such a giving community. There are so many people who want to help and didn't know how and now they can. I had the vision, but it's the people who keep this dream alive and make it happen. The generous giving spirit of our Clarence and Williamsville and East Amherst community partnered with all the teachers, pastors, counselors, social workers, etc who work with the families in need directly and want to help them and make their lives better.

Wear 'n Share was created in June of 2009 and in only 7 months I'm working with over 25 churches, schools, counselors, and organizations to reach families in need. I currently service about 8-10 families a week. I have about 30 volunteers who make this all possible through their giving spirit by donating their time to help me sort donations and make deliveries. This ministry has grown so rapidly that I'm already in need of new space! I'm currently operating out of the basement of Get Heeled which is located at 6000 Goodrich road in Clarence Center. It's an ideal drop off location as it's so convenient and folks can drop off their donations anytime during store hours Monday-Saturday from 10:00AM-6:00PM and Thursdays they're open until 8:00PM. Unfortunately, however, the space is just too small for me to continue to grow and reach more families in need. I could be doing so much more if I had the room. I'm not a non profit, just doing on my own so I can't afford to buy a building, pay taxes, utilities, etc. which makes finding room a little tricky.

But that's not why I started this blog, although if anyone with a BIG generous heart would like to donate a building I would definitely consider it. :) My purpose in this is to have an opportunity to share some of my amazing experiences with you as they occur. Maybe hearing about some of the families helped through Wear 'n Share will change your life the way it has changed mine. I definitely hope some of the wonderful people who have shared their time or given donations to this cause will read this from time to time so they will hear about some of the families they have personally touched through their kindness. I can't wait to share the joy with you.

So to peak your interest for the next time you visit, I'll leave you with one of my personal favorite stories so far.... (Of course I will always leave out names in my experiences to maintain confidentiality. ) In November I was contacted by a teacher who wanted to help a woman out who worked at her school. She and her husband have 3 grown children of their own, with one still living with them at home. A neighbor of theirs dropped off her 3 young boys:2 year old, 4 year old, and 6 year old at her home one day and said she couldn't care for them anymore, and asked them to take them. These boys had lived a difficult life in their few short years so far with a father that encouraged 2 of the boys to abuse their brother since he came from another father. He abandoned them a few months prior to their mother dropping them off at her neighbor's house. This is obviously a tragic situation for these boys, and this wonderful mother and her husband who were well beyond a point in their life to care for 3 young boys suddenly had them. The outpouring of support from our community was astonishing. Not only did we have enough clothing to cover them for 2 years, but we had beds and car seats and toys and even a bike, I could go on and on. My garage was filled when they came in their van to pick everything up. They had officially adopted the boys just in time for Thanksgiving. I'm quite certain it was a holiday they will never forget with so much to be thankful for. The mother's eyes were filled with tears and the father couldn't even look at me as I know he was so touched. The kids were jumping up and down. It was an experience that I will always treasure, but what I remember the most was my conversation with the mother. I was telling her how wonderful it was that she was taking these boys into her home and giving them the family and a second chance at a happy life. I was so touched by her selflessness. And she so proudly told me, it wasn't her that made the decision, it was her 20'ish year old son. He had gotten home from his night shift job and woke her up in the middle of the night and said, "Mom, we have to keep these boys." She said, "Let's sleep on it and talk about it in the morning." But the next day he stayed true to his decision and the rest is history. She was beaming with pride when she told me and I told her she raised quite a son. She just looked down with tear-filled eyes. And that's exactly why I do this, for moments like that one.

I can't wait to share more. Thank for listening!