Saint David’s teachers. “Good men” like Bob Ginard, Tom
McLellan and Michael Imbelli both with whom I am still
connected. Teachers and mentors no longer with us but who
left their gentle nature impressed on my soul, such as Mary
Miner, Ray Feerick, and Bill Ryan who introduced me to
a quote of Martin Luther King’s that I still live by today;
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you
doing for others?”
Over the years, I have had the privilege of working
with, and being a member of or on the boards for: No Kid
Hungry, Love Halley Foundation, The MDA, The Solace
House Suicide Prevention Group, and The Young and
Mighty March, as well as working alongside politicians to
make our communities stronger, more tolerant and better
places to live. This has also meant volunteering for smaller
community projects that make big differences such as
community gardening, and clean-up projects such as graffiti
removal.
We must keep in mind that there is no such thing as
a small project when we are out there helping in some
capacity, leading by example, and showing that we can make
a difference. We have to be on the frontlines of our passion
projects as well as participate in small kind gestures such as
helping an elderly neighbor, running errands for someone
sick or injured, or standing up for someone being bullied.
How is this accomplished? How does someone get the
ball rolling on a project that makes them say, “I can make a
dent in this issue?” By looking inside our hearts and asking
ourselves, what is it in this world that bothers me the most?
What is it that I look out into this world and see and say,
“that’s not right, how do we fix this?” We may find that it’s
several things and while it’s fine to explore them all, to help
out in the various arenas, eventually one will become a clear
focus to dedicate time to. It is easy to fall into the pattern of
feeling the need to give 110% to each one, but that can be
all consuming and we have a responsibility to ourselves first
and foremost so that we can give back to others.
Once locked into a passion project, it’s time to reach out
to groups that are in the orbit of that cause and see what can
be done through them and alongside of them, as far as being
a volunteer or organizer within your community. They
may also reach out to you as they hear about you and your
willingness to get involved.
An example of that is my dear friend Amanda Hite,
with whom I blogged regarding how we who work within
restaurant organizations can help to make a difference. We
were both marketing people and loved to share ideas. One
day after a conference we were attending she cornered me,
literally, and said something I can still hear in my head, word
for word, today; “Dude, you gotta join me on helping this
“Be the light to guide others through the darkness.
Let them see there is hope.”
Winter 2019 • 33