Investing in your community is a great way to give back. Non-profit organizations do so much to help the communities that all of us are a part of, but they can’t do it alone!
As successful members of the community, we have a responsibility to help those that are less fortunate and contribute to the common good. By reaching out to help others, not only benefits the person being helped, but practicing charity also has many benefits for the person doing the helping. It is a generous way of expressing gratitude for all that you have been given.
I feel this so strongly that it’s been a longstanding practice of mine to donate my time and money to charitable organizations for the past several years. In some years, I admit, it has been a lot less money than other years, but every little bit truly helps. When my business was in the red and I wasn’t able to give money, I gave more of my time, volunteering with local organizations that were able to use my skills. There are so many organizations that need a pair of helping hands – especially a pair of helping hands that are regularly available. Reaching out a hand to lift someone else up is one of the greatest gifts for the heart. The gifts that one receives from giving back and from reaching out to help others are immense and priceless.
The Eli Home is a non-profit organization based in Anaheim that is near and dear to my heart. They have 3 shelter homes in Anaheim and Orange which house the mothers and children they take in. The Eli Home is the only shelter home in Orange County that keeps the children with their mothers. They exist to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused children and their mothers. They focus their efforts on advocacy, prevention, treatment, and community outreach.
You may think to yourself they are just a shelter in Anaheim that has nothing to do with me or my life but you need to realize that The Eli Home has a very important role in the community of Orange County. Do you know how child abuse affects the community?? If not please click on the link to familiarize yourself with the statistics showing the outcome and consequences of untreated child abuse. If these children don’t get the help they need they will repeat the cycle of violence, crime and substance abuse in our community. http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics/#gen-stats
The Eli Home’s mission is to shelter, comfort, heal, encourage and strengthen victims of child abuse and neglect, to prepare them to re-enter the community to lead stable, non-violent lives, free from fear and intimidation – To Break the Cycle of Child Abuse.
How you can help
Individuals can help by…
o Serving on an Event Committee, Board of Directors, Sub Committee
o Volunteering at the admin offices, thrift store, shelter home or an event
o Financial Support a one-time gift or a monthly pledge
Businesses can help by…
o Organizing volunteer groups for a day
o Donating new products t the families and Thrift Store
o Donating professional services
o Financial support a one-time gift or a monthly pledge
Corporations
o Do you offer grant opportunities?
o Do you sponsor fundraising events?
o Do you offer a corporate matching program to your employees?
The list above gives you some ideas and may inspire you. As you can see there are many ways of giving back and volunteering. Just keep your ears and eyes open for ways you can give back. Seeing the smile on a child’s face and experience feelings of warmth, contentment and gratitude in your heart as you bring assistance to others will make the world a better place and only then will you begin to understand why people give back.
I will end this with a great quote by Audrey Hepburn, “As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One is for helping yourself and the other is for helping others.”
