Today is MAKE A DIFFERENCE Day!

“In every community there is work to be done. In every nation there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.”
- Marianne Williamson

Millions of Americans are committed to and participating in projects of good deeds on this annual day of volunteering, “Make A Difference Day.” Kids, families, celebrities, professional athletes, corporate citizens, governmental leaders and students alike are doing something to make a difference in their communities on the nation's largest day of service. Volunteerism is energizing! When people volunteer, they find a need that they are passionate about in order to help others. One person doing little things can truly make a big difference in someone’s life.

You do not have to be a celebrity in order to make a monumental gift from your heart. Although money is definitely needed in helping many causes, the random acts of kindness are the impressions that make lasting memories. We applaud everyone who is participating in this largest national day of service, but we salute you even more if you are volunteering and making a difference throughout the year.

“To show great love for God and our neighbor we need not do great things. It is how much love we put in the doing that makes our offering something beautiful for God.”
- Mother Teresa

Grab the Torch© Caught Our Attention

In the midst of some challenging circumstances that we see in the various sectors of our lives, there still remains a constant sense of humanity that resonates beyond our reach. Throughout our communities, worship institutions, educational institutions and social networks, we witness many young people stepping up to the plate, to help those who may be suffering, lonely or less fortunate than they are. We applaud these young people who are not afraid to reach out and use their creative juices to set some profound examples of humanitarianism, hope and encouragement.

One of the organizations that recently caught our attention is Grab the Torch©. According to their website,

Grab The Torch© recognized the importance of preparing the next generation for their upcoming role and responsibility as volunteers, board and committee members and visionaries for the non-profit world long before the current economic crisis. There has never been a more critical time in our history to understand and support philanthropy and the global greater good than right now. The students need an understanding and foundation to prepare themselves for their upcoming role in society. It will be a road map for their future; a tool to guide, not to dictate. The students will take many directions, some following their families, some going 180 degrees due to personal affinities. We will encourage participation on any level. There are endless pieces of the greater good puzzle, each student holds a valuable role for the greater good.

Why not think about hosting a philanthropy camp for the children in your neighborhood, church or school. Be sure to set the example as well, so that our young people can see your convictions in action. The rewards will be greater than you think. For more information about Grab the Torch©, you can check out their website: http://www.grabthetorch.org/index.htm.

http://www.kymgmoore.com/

Ten Ideas for Everyday Outreach | Articles | BuildingChurchLeaders.com

I came across this article with some simple tips on easily reaching out to everyday people in a sincere and practical way. I hope you will find these tips helpful, as a reminder to continue practicing a kind, random act of service to others who may really need it just when they least expect it! Have a beautiful and prospersous day everyone!

Ten Ideas for Everyday Outreach
No elaborate planning necessary.
By Dana Wilkerson

1. Pay attention to the people around you in your neighborhood or at work. Send up an arrow prayer as you walk by them.

2. Be mindful of those who serve you—bank tellers, grocery store clerks, fast food workers. Look them in the eye and tell them you appreciate their service.

3. Leave a note of encouragement on a coworker's desk or on the windshield of their car.

4. When you walk past a piece of trash on the ground, pick it up and throw it in a garbage can.

5. When someone says they're having a bad day, stop and ask if you can pray for them right there.

6. At the drive-thru, pay for the meal of the person behind you.

7. Stop and talk with a homeless person. Find out their story.

8. Before leaving a restaurant, jot a thank you note to your server and leave it on the table or call the manager over and explain how much you enjoyed the service.

9. Go out of your way to be friendly to a prickly person.

10. When you're talking with someone, give them the gift of your full attention.

Ten Ideas for Everyday Outreach Articles BuildingChurchLeaders.com

Edifying The Community

By Kym Gordon Moore

We are saturated every day with painstaking, horrendous stories in the news, online, through our mobile devices and newspapers that are impossible to run away from. Literally, we expect to get our daily intake of bad news so much, until when a good story rolls around about an advocate doing something positive and edifying in the community, we are somehow thrown off course.

Earlier this year, Favorite Things for a CAUSE decided to highlight ordinary people doing extraordinary things within the communities of our surrounding area. We came across many volunteers who do so much, yet prefer to remain anonymous, at least for the time being. Those of us who are blessed to be recognized in one way or another, feel undeserving of such publicized recognition. Yet, when an opportunity comes along, where your community leaders scour through mounds of well deserving candidates and decides to recognize you, you find your spirit flushed with humility, because your contributions are done from the heart and out of love. Somehow you prefer to remain in the shadows, but when we look at the bad news that often dominates our sources of communication, we welcome some good news in the midst of the storm.

I have the honor of being in good company with two extraordinary women who were nominated to represent the General Mills Feeding Dreams Community Champions program in Charlotte, North Carolina. Throughout the past few months, you read and learned about The Dove’s Nest, the organization I represented for Feeding Dreams. Please feel free to revisit our previous blog posts in case you missed those articles. Although we have a couple of weeks before finding out how the results from the online voting will rank the award placement for each of our organizations, we have enjoyed this ride. Kelly, Valarie and I are committed to getting the much-needed support for the organizations we represent, since all of them rely on donations from generous people in the community.

So to all of you who are doing something in your community beyond the call of duty, we salute you and thank you for being a participator and not a spectator. Can you possibly imagine the type of world we would live in if everyone did “one” positive thing each day to make the world a better place?

Be inspired…Then be an inspiration!

“He who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.” - Proverbs 22:9 (RSV)