Tag: support

Give Back This Holiday Season Jerry Swon

How You Can Give Back This Holiday Season

On December 3, 2018

With holidays quickly approaching, the time for celebration with family and friends is near. While it can easy to get caught up with consumerism, it is important to think of how you can give back. We have so much to be thankful for, there are others who are not as unfortunate. This season I challenge you to make a difference in someone’s lives and give back. Keep reading to discover a few ways that you can spread holiday cheer.

Send Holiday Cards to Active Soldiers and Veterans

The holidays can be a difficult time for soldiers who are overseas and away from their families. Sending festive cards to soldiers or veterans is a thoughtful way to give back and is simple to do!

Once you have written a few cards, check out your local American Red Cross chapter to see if they participate in the Holidays for Heroes program. If you find that they don’t participate, check to see if A Million Thanks, has a drop-off location nearby.

Collect Donations for a Food Bank

This season, don’t let others go hungry. During the holidays, food banks are always looking for nonperishable items. After looking through your own pantry, ask family, friends, or neighbors if they have canned food to spare. Food banks will also ask for other items like toiletries, school supplies, and other paper goods.

Donate Gently Used Clothes and Coats

If you don’t live in a warmer client, the winters can be harsh without a winter coat. Browse through your closets to see if you have any coats, sweaters, or long sleeves that you just don’t reach for. Before you donate, make sure that your clothes are washed and clean. You can donate your clothes to a local Goodwill or to One Warm Coat. With One Warm Coat, you can even hold your own coat drive in your community.

Sponsor a Family’s Christmas

A great way to give back is to adopt a family for the holiday. Local charitable groups, non-profits, and religious organizations will gather information from families in need of a little help. They will compose a holiday wishlist along with clothing sizes and preferences. Whether you decide to pursue this endeavor solo or with a few friends, you will be providing another family with a wonderful holiday.

Pick Out a Present for Toys for Tots

If adopting a family isn’t in your budget, you can still donate a gift to Toys for Tots. Toy for Tots is a program that collects donations and distributes new toys to families who can’t afford gifts. Giving to Toys for Tots is a great way for you to get your children involved. Ask your kids to pick out a toy that they think another little boy or girl would enjoy.

The 4 Factors Behind Creating A Community

By Jerry Swon

On November 8, 2018

In Blog, Community

Have you ever wondered why people participate in communities? Or how that community came to be in the first place? Social psychologists, McMillian and Chavis explain that a sense of community is formed when members feel that they belong, matter, and share the same faith. McMillian and Chavis explain that there is more that goes into a community than just a simple definition. The following are four factors that contribute to creating a sense of community. As you read, reflect on whether your own community posses these factors.

1. Membership

When you have a membership to a group, you have a feeling of belonging. The people within your community should share similar interests or views as the other members.McMillian and Chavis state that communities often come with boundaries. Boundaries help to create a higher level of trust between members and to make sure that anyone who joins is a good fit.

2. Influence

The second factor of community is influence or rather a sense of mattering. Members of an organization should feel as though they have influence over the community and vice versa. As you create a community, form an environment where your members have a say in what happens. The community should be something that its members care about and adds value to their lives.

3. Fulfillment of Needs

By joining a community, a member should receive what they hoped for by joining. Like any product, your community should solve a problem or provide a purpose for its member to make it worth their time and dedication.

Members should feel rewarded by participating in a community in order for them to continue to be active. A reward could range from a support network to conversation to inspiration.

Be sure to talk to your members to get the best idea of who they are and how the community can best serve them.

4. A Shared Connection

When looking at a healthy community you will notice that there is often a story on how they formed or what hardships they have experienced. Shared experiences have the ability to form a strong emotional bond between members. Often when a community goes through a crisis, they rely on one another to make it through the tough time.

After reading what four factors create a community, do you find that your own community posses these factors? If not, utilize this knowledge as you build and develop your community.

Top 3 Ways You Can Help Your Community

By Jerry Swon

On July 13, 2018

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

Reflect on the word, “community”. What does that word mean to you? For some community means the 5-mile radius surrounding their home. For others, it can be a group at church, to the neighborhood to the entire city. However you define community, you can play an active role in how it grows.

To make an impact in your own community you don’t have to be rich or powerful or even a certain age. Just wanting an willing to make a difference is enough. To make a difference in your own community here are few ways you can get started.

Support Local Businesses

One way to make sure you community thrives is to support local businesses. Too often do mom and pop stores close due to lack of business. Before you buy your produce from a chain store, check out your local farmers market or grocery store. Chances are, the product will be fresher and of a higher quality.

Volunteer

Sometimes saying that you will volunteer is easier than actually doing it. Although we all have busy lives, setting aside to help out the community can create a big impact. There are always plenty of opportunities available if you are looking hard enough for them. Some volunteer opportunities will require an ongoing commitment, and others times it may be a one-off project or event. Regardless of time commitment here are a few examples of how you can volunteer in your community:

Join a Big Brothers Big Sisters Program
Serve a meal at your local homeless shelter
Spend the day reading to residents of a retirement home
Clean up a local park
Build a house with Habitat for Humanity

These are only a few options on how you can volunteer! If you ever find yourself in the New Jersey area, you can check out these 5 great organizations to volunteer at.

Start Your Own Project

If you find that your community is has a need that isn’t being met, take the initiative and start your own project. If you find yourself passionate about a cause within your community, but no one is taking action, become the ambassador of the cause! Some projects you may orchestrate can include:

A bake sale, concert, or auction where all proceeds go to a charitable cause like an animal shelter.
Organize a back-to-school drive where members of the community can donate school supplies for the upcoming year
Adopt a Highway and clean up litter

Being proactive in your community is one of the most impactful things you can do. With that being said, take on the opportunity to make a difference in your community today!