(Article gleaned from the Be The Difference E-Zine for April 7, 2009)
Together We Can Change The World Day (T-Day)
From the Director of T-Day, Jean Lachowicz...
Thinking BIG
It is safe to assume that every person who reads this newsletter is interested in BEING THE DIFFERENCE to help make our world a better place. It's also probably safe to assume that every person who reads this newsletter is already doing large and small things to have a huge positive impact on our world.
That is so wonderful! I guess we are all part of a great big network of people who understand the importance of consciously adding our own personal dose of love and kindness to every day and every aspect of our lives.
I met this morning with David, my accountant (tax time!), and over bottomless cups of coffee at a local snack shop, I told him all about T-Day and we discussed the power of large-scale inter-generational service activities at the community level. He is involved in our local chamber of commerce, and he has been grappling with basic citizen apathy. He talked about his seemingly futile efforts to go door-to-door canvassing for a recent special election and how many neighbors had no interest in or knowledge of the importance of their participation in basic civic activities. He talked about families that hardly communicate with one another because the kids are over-committed with extracurricular activities and their own "thing," and the parents are over-committed trying to make ends meet. He talked about the isolation caused by people who focus on a small corner of t heir own little world, and how many ideas and how many relationships we miss when people close themselves off from their community.
I countered with T-Day stories about Zoe and her eye-opening concern for the homeless, and Big Z and his ditch-cleaning treasure hunts. I told David about Thank A Veteran Day, efforts to save the Flushing RKO Theater, and entrepreneur programs for inner-city teenage girls. I talked about helping senior citizens get wired up for the Internet, helping Native American groups with their special events, and helping ailing kids feel loved.
David's eyes lit up as we began cooking up the idea of presenting T-Day to the Chamber of Commerce and its members: schools, businesses, agencies, and entrepreneurs. I've already emailed him our ebooks, and we are going to move forward to mobilize this community in service. As the T-Day tagline says, "Mobilizing millions, one person at a time."
As we were parting, David reminded me that he and I originally met at a community meeting, long before I started my own business and long before I needed to use the services of an accountant. We met because we were both engaged in community activism, and we became friends because we found ourselves sharing many of the same values. He noted that networking and building business contacts is a gift that enriches the lives of everyone who ventures out into the larger world.
So my own theme for this week is THINK BIG! Stretch, grow, and reach. I hope you join me in that big beautiful world out there!
(Our next T-Day is Saturday, May 2)
Together We Can Change The World!
Let us know what you or your group did. We'd love to print it right here in the Be the Difference newsletter! Put "T-Day" in the Subject Line and e-mail it to jean at mypowermall.com.
By the time I finished reading Jean's "Thinking Big" article for the Be The Difference E-Zine, I got tears in my eyes. You see, we have had a lot of our years lived in a very similar fashion as her accountant observed in his community. Jean paraphrases David's thoughts during their visit: "He talked about families that hardly communicate with each other because the kids are over-committed with extracurricular activities and their own "thing" and the parents are over-committed trying to make ends meet. He talked about the isolation caused by people who focus on a small corner of their own little world, and how many ideas and how many relationships we miss when people close themselves off from their community."
This has been us with much of our greater community. We have revolved in our smaller circles doing what we can when we can, but, in between those moments of being able to assist those close to us, we have been "too busy" or "too tired" or "too pressed to place our attentions and energies elsewhere".
I have often thought of how my greatest giving went to my grandparents when growing up. I cared for my grandmother from the time I was 5 until she passed away when I was 16. She had Parkinson's Disease and other health issues that required full-time care. I helped my grandfather in his farm work by picking nuts, pruning trees, herding and feeding cows, etc. Aside from the other few friends we would help in times of need, we didn't have experience in our community assisting others; my mom was in her own world of "too, too" to be able to look beyond her little family; and my step-father was always working, bringing the dollar home to provide for us and his children that lived.
This is a trend I've wanted to change for my children . . . Though my childhood hopes of being a mother of three hasn't come to be, I have a fantastic young man, Mr. Big Z. He's a wonderful blessing in my life and he's helped me become a better person on this big planet of ours. Years pass by so quickly and I turn around and he's 9! Where has our time gone and what have we given with it?
We've helped others together when we can. There are many times I've helped others when he wasn't with me because he's usually with his Dad at these times. When we have gotten to help others together, he's enjoyed the experience and so have I.
Through the Spirit of Together We Can Change The World Day, a spark ignites my desire to increase our giving to others in a larger way, to change the trend I grew up with of not helping so much outside of the family to helping others on a much larger community scale. Though our projects haven't been on a grand scale as yet, there will come a time when they will be larger in scope, and will effect our larger community. For now, knowing that we are part of a group of people who have the T-Day Spirit within their hearts that connects us together, and by focusing our energies to give on one Saturday a month, it feels like we are giving on a much larger scale than our project of cleaning the ditches in front of our home.
What T-Day has done is illuminate the gifts we have been able to give to those in our smaller networks and acknowledge that it's by helping one person, one family at a time, that we can Be The Difference. T-Day reminds me of the "paying it forward concept" and brings awareness to all the smaller random acts of kindness that we do on a daily and weekly basis that we may take for granted as small and insignificant, but in reality, are huge and powerful when added together. T-Day gets our juices flowing as we consider new ideas and possibilities for giving.
We have Ginny and the M-Team to thank for the concept of T-Day. But, I wish to thank Jean Lachowicz for being the energy behind the Spirit of T-Day's successful launch and for the solid foundation she has put into place for its growth. Last evening on the MPM Family Chat, we learned that Jean has accepted the post as the COO for My Power Mall and a new T-Day Director will be hired. Admittedly, I'm a bit sad even as I celebrate Jean's advancement, for her skillful support of TWCCTW and MPM will continue. I will miss her more frequent T-Day stories and input; however, I know that we'll receive an equally effective, fun, and powerful person to build up T-Day from the firm foundations Jean has built, to take the helm of T-Day and expand its reaches around the globe. And, I know Jean will continue to share about her T-Day projects. Keeping in alignment with "Thinking Big" I know the M-Team will receive another powerful and insightful addition to their team and T-Day will explode around the globe, one person and one project at a time.
And, Big Z and I will continue to enjoy our T-Day projects as we expand our container for giving, sharing with those close to us how they, too, can become involved with T-Day.
You may be asking, "How can I get involved?"
Click the links below to gain ideas, become inspired, and get involved. As they say, there's no time like the present: Get Started Now! TOGETHER We Can Change The World!
Together We Can Change The World Day
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