One Person Can Make A Difference H.O.W.

What can I do? How can I help? There is only one of me and I don’t have the money to help!

This is heard all around the world in times of need. A great disaster. A hurricane. A tsunami, fire or tornado. People sit back on their comfortable chairs and watch these things happen from the comfort of their own home. Many truly feel as if there is nothing they can do. Others make up excuses. And they all just continue sitting.

Most people would be right, too. Alone, even if you have money, it is hard to do anything. But one person CAN do something if they enlist the help of a friend. Who then enlists the help of his friends. Who enlist the help of their friends. And pretty soon there is a group of people who are all working together for a common cause. They pool their money and their resources and start getting things done.

With a little faith and courage, people can move mountains. Literally! After tornadoes hit the town of Haysville where I lived, neighbors got together to help remove all of the debris and trash. Mountains of debris moved from the neighborhoods to the dump pit on the outside of town – moved by one person at a time. But many people working together in order to get the job done. Our neighbors didn’t sit at home and wish they could do something. They got up, moved outside and began doing something. It was that easy.

It’s not as easy when there is a tragedy or a disaster across the country or the world. We can still help, though. Charities are making it easier every day to contribute to help others. The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army both take donations by text. Most charities have online sites that you can contribute to, as well. While you may think that your one dollar or ten dollar donation can’t help, your one dollar and a hundred other people with one dollar can make a huge difference. It doesn’t take much effort on your part to make a contribution in order to help.

These same charities welcome volunteers – trained and untrained. I know people who have left our area with the help from the Salvation Army and gone to help out in New York and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. Some of these volunteers are nurses and doctors, others are handy with a hammer and saw, while others are there just to pick up trash and debris. You don’t have to have any expertise to pick up trash! Many employers will give you time off to help out in times like this. But you won’t know if your employer will allow you to do this if you don’t make the effort to find out.

The next time you see a disaster in your town or across the world from you, don’t sit in your comfortable recliner and ask, “What can I do?” Get up and make a phone call. Get a group of friends together. Pool your talents and your funds and get to work. One person can make a difference…that person just must get up and do it…

If you really want to help out - even if it's just a dollar or two...here are two great charities that help many people.

The American Red Cross - www.redcross.org

The Salvation Army - www.salvationarmyusa.org