Friend to Friend: Making a Difference One Person at a Time

There are a lot of people who will tell you that you are nuts for trying to help other people. Some will tell you that it can't be done while others will tell you that you are being co-dependent, to take care of your own family first.

I've made some personal decisions lately and came to this one conclusion: You can and you will make a difference if you put in the work. People will follow you. People will donate. People will offer to help others in need in any way they can, you just have to give them a specific way they can help.

How many times have you thought, "we should do something helpful" but you weren't sure what to do? Maybe you're a zealous advocate of those that need help yourself. Whichever you may be, we can always use your help, support and guidance over on our Facebook Page.

One way we have helped a family is through a fundraiser we held, Shooting for a Cure. Four professional photographers got together and took family portraits throughout the day, donating the proceeds of all of the sitting fees to the Team Momo fund.

Team Momo has been set up to help a 2 1/2 year old girl in Massachusetts fight leukemia. She was diagnosed on August 1, 2011. With the generosity of all of the families that participated in the fundraiser we were able to send the Team Momo fund $1,000 to help them pay for medical copays associated with treatment for Mom.

Throughout Massachusetts we offer the same service to other families and groups trying to raise money for their cause. Anyone that wishes to have their own "Shooting for a Cure" fundraiser can visit the link and we will organize, promote and run the fundraiser for you.

We have been advocates for a family where the father has a malignant brain tumor. He is quite sick at this point and home on hospice. WIth the help of many friends and family members, we have raised over $6,000 total in the past year and a half, all of which has gone directly to their family to help cover the high costs of medical copayments.

Recently, the father has taken a significant turn for the worse. Friends of the family have been taking in donations for his three teenage children. He has been the primary earner for the family for the past twenty years and is on home on hospice care.

It is always important to keep people from feeling socially isolated. At times we have visited people in nursing homes or organized volunteers to visit instead. With CNA training and nursing home ombudsmen training, we feel comfortable in a nursing home environment.

It isn't easy to visit someone who is sick, frail or at the end of their life but our Friend to Friend organization aims to have visitors volunteer to visit those who want someone to talk to. Like us on Facebook to find out about how you can help, because we need you if you have the time and the compassion.