Day 27

2010-07-27 23:37:05 -0400
Originally uploaded by Manpan915

Don't be known as a taker, be a giver. - Bobby Funk

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Matthew 7:12

I have been reminded of this my whole life. Always help people in need. Treat people the way you wish to be treated.

I will never have enough money that I can give to an organization to REALLY make a difference but what I do have is time. Time to do the leg work and labor that an organization may need.

A big part of my life is volunteerism. I joined The Junior League of Lancaster about 2 years ago and have been very active volunteering for many worthwhile organizations. Guadenzia was the first organization I got my hands dirty with while in the League. We organized a party for the Women and Children Guadenzia services. We collected purses and each woman had a brand new (and in many cases a brand name) purse. Something as simple as a purse was just another confidence booster for these woman trying to better themselves and become a contributing member of society.

Aaron's Acres is another non-profit organization that I am very active with. One Sunday a month during the school year I volunteer with their respite school year program. This past year I decided to bring a long with me a troubled student from my school. It was amazing to see his hard shell disappear when he was working with the children. Aaron's Acres is an amazing organization that thrives on support of MANY volunteers.

Through Junior League I was hooked up with Girls on the Run. This is a character building program for young girls via a 10 wk course and actual physical running and training for a 5K. I have had first hand experience of how this program can change a girl's life for the better!

There are many more organizations that are doing good in our community that depend on volunteers to keep them running. No amount of money can replace time given, a hug given, encouragement given, etc.

Everyone needs to do their part in giving back to their community. You should be thankful for the gifts you have been given in your life and hope that if need be, someone is around giving of their time to you.

*This picture is taken at Loxley's, a restaurant in Lancaster. At the bottom of every check there are 3 organizations of the month for customers to choose from to have 5% of their bill donated to. Thank you Loxley's for giving back to your community!