Make a Difference: RC Cares

Dec 5, 2023

To start off, the holidays have once again come into play, with loved ones, lights, parties, way too much food, and all the extra’s that come with celebrating this time of year.  It is also known as the “season of giving”, where people take time from their busy schedules and their families and begin to look for opportunities to make a difference.  Taking ornaments off the local Angel Tree, bringing toys in for the community Toys for Tots event, buying coats and shoes for kids or helping a family in need.  Regardless of what’s chosen, the decision to make an investment into someone else’s life during this season makes a difference. So many people are more than thankful for the ability to do so!

Making a Difference: Post-Holiday Dilemma

Unfortunately, as quickly as the focus on making a difference begins, it ends.  This is both puzzling and bothersome.  Don’t get it wrong, it makes sense why there is such a focus on giving during the holiday season, and it is awesome that it happens, but why should that focus should change as soon as the tree and lights are boxed up for another year? There will still be people in need on December 26.  There will still be people going through loss and heartache on New Year’s Day and every day after for that matter. Yet, so many opportunities get overlooked or simply passed by because it is no longer the focus.

Making a Difference Every Day

This week our team of volunteers from our National Home Office served at an organization called Rare Breed here in Springfield, MO. Rare Breed provides immediate access to basic needs and community services for homeless and at-risk youth ages 13-24.  They provide them a safe location they can come to for a hot meal, shower, help with clothes, survival items, hygiene items, or just a place to hang out. They have case workers that help them with finding employment, housing, school and daily life functions.

Of the over 600 documented homeless population in the Springfield area, and over 140 of them are teenagers. Young people who are supposed to be in the most exciting time of their lives are forced to learn how to survive on their own. All of them are simply looking for someone to care about them, someone to love them and make a conscious decision to make a difference in their lives.  Rare Breed, along with the incredible volunteers that support it, have chosen to make this investment year-round.  They believe in these kids and they believe in making a difference.

Do What You Can

Needs persist year-round. The question is, where to make a difference and when. Can everything be fixed? Certainly not. When to respond? You’ll know. Seeing a need simply lets you know there is one.  Responding and doing what you can do to help brings life change! And the key that is doing what you can do and not what you think you should do. Keep in mind that doing something will always bring about more change than doing nothing!

Make a Difference with Small Acts

Our Home Office Team was able to buy supper and serve it to the teenagers of Rare Breed.  In addition, They also spent some time doing some small odd jobs that needed to be done at the center. Was it a lot? To some probably not.  To those kids and our team, it was everything! It helped changed someone’s “today” which I hope changed their tomorrow. And I can promise you we, as an organization, will continue to invest in and support these kids long after the holiday season has ended. Their needs will continue and our response will as well.

Make a Difference, Keep on Going

So, this holiday season, look for opportunities to can make a difference.  If there is an organization like Rare Breed in or around your community, consider volunteering. Do what you can to make the holiday season a little brighter for someone. And then, when this season is over, keep giving, keep helping and keep making a difference. Do what you can when you can.  Lives will be changed because of what you do, even yours.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Russell Cellular.

RC Cares Volunteer Efforts

Sep 12, 2023

How everyone can make a difference – with Ron Wallace

May 31, 2023

“Someone will help them.”

These four words pass through people’s minds more than we probably could ever imagine.  How could I make a difference? Let me explain. You’re scrolling through social media and comes upon a post about a family that just lost everything in a house fire. You’re moved by the situation but then you think, “someone will help them”.  You walk into a store and see that location is raising support for a young child that is battling cancer. You listen to the employee share about how the child is needing treatments and the family needs help with expenses to travel back and forth.  Same thing; You’re moved by the situation but then think, “someone will help them”. I would say if we are all honest, we have all thought this at some point in our life.

Now let me first say I’m not “coming down on” anyone.  I’ve been there.  I have been the person thinking these four words.  I have been the one that saw the need, was moved by the need, and then absolutely knew in the moment I was supposed to do what I could to help meet that need only to walk away thinking “someone will help them”.  Let me also say with 100% certainty that we can’t meet every need.  There’s no way any one person has the time or the resources to be able to invest in every single situation.  I get that!

Ask yourself this question: Am I doing what I CAN to make a difference when I CAN? And really, this can be broken down into two questions.  What CAN I do?  When CAN I do it?

What CAN I do to make a difference?

So many times I think people base this answer on how others are helping in a situation.  For example, you hear of someone who gave a family $1,000 to help them after they lost everything in a house fire.  You are moved by their situation and honestly would love to help but you think “well, I can’t give that much so can I really make a difference?” To a family that’s lost everything, $1,000 is a lot of help. But so is $20, $10, or even $5.  Or maybe it’s cooking a meal to take to take away the stress of wondering how or when the next meal might come.  Or maybe it’s simply stopping by to check on this family, letting them know they are not alone.  What I CAN do will never be about what someone else does!

When CAN I do it?

The simple answer to this question…when you feel led to.  Again, no one can meet every need.  That’s unrealistic to say the least.  But we all know that feeling. That feeling in our heart that says “I need to help” or “I have to do something”.  And I can promise you that when you get this feeling, you will have what you need to be able to help the way that you can. Maybe that will be in the form of a big check. Or it’s just rounding your change up to the nearest dollar to give to a fundraiser. Maybe you’re in the drive thru line for your lunch and you decide to pay for the person behind you.  Or maybe it’s simply giving your time to someone who just needs YOU to notice, to listen, and to care.

Every day at Russell Cellular, our RC Cares team challenges our company to look for the needs around them and then do what we CAN, when we CAN to help meet those needs. I always ask our team members to make sure and look with their eyes AND their heart.  With our eyes we can see the need and together with our heart we do what we CAN to help meet that need.

How Russell Cellular has made a difference:

Recently, District Sales Manager Monica Turner and her team learned of Kye Hyatt. Kye is a young boy who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and is having to undergo multiple surgeries and treatments. Added travel and medical expenses were adding up and Kye and his family needed help.  They didn’t ask for it in any way, Monica and her team simply saw a need and decided to do what they could to help meet that need raising over $3,200 to support this family.

At about the same time, District Sales Manager Jason Foster and his team learned of a need of the students of Clifford Nowlin Middle School in Independence, MO.  There were kids that needed coats to help stay warm.  So Jason and his team raised almost $1500 to purchase coats for these students.

Both Monica and Jason’s teams saw a need and they decided to do what they could do to help meet those needs. Not because they were asked to. Not for any type of recognition.  They chose to do this simply to make a difference in someone’s life…and so they did!

So the next time you see someone in need, instead of just thinking “someone will help them”, ask yourself this question.  Am I doing what I CAN to make a difference when I CAN?  If you will answer it in the right way, lives WILL be changed…one of which will be yours!  #careforeveryperson

Russell Cellular Celebrates $1,000,000 Raised Through RC Cares

Apr 24, 2023

On April 13, 2023, just before 7:00pm CST, Russell Cellular hit $1,000,000 raised through our RC Cares program.  One million dollars! That seems crazy for me to just say those words.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a milestone I knew we could and would hit eventually.  I actually set a goal of reaching that mark in 5 years.  We started that journey in July of 2018 selling RC Cares Products, taking donations from customers and actually donating to both projects and our Employee Emergency Fund ourselves and with over 2 months to spare here we are celebrating reaching this goal.

Russell Cellular Cares

The heart of Russell Cellular has always been to give back, to our RC family, to our customers and the many communities we serve all across this country. Not for sales, not for recognition, but just to simply make a difference in people’s lives. Jeff and Kym Russell have made this a staple since beginning this journey almost 30 years ago. In fact, before I started my journey working for the RC Family, the Russell Family was investing in outreach projects my wife and I were leading in our hometown of Ava, Missouri.  One in particular was the school supply project we helped start several years ago.  Everyone knows how expensive school supplies can be, especially for parents that have multiple children in school.  My wife Lacey had it on her heart to help so we launched a supply drive to help elementary kids and their families in our community.  The very first year we approached Jeff Russell about helping us. He donated $500 and we thought that was the most amazing thing. That first year, between Russell Cellular and our church, we provided school supplies for 50 kids.  For the next 11 years RC was always our largest investor, donating thousands of dollars over that time and what started as RC and one church providing supplies for 50 kids turned into RC leading over 50 businesses and individuals supplying school supplies to thousands of students from multiple schools in southwest Missouri year after year.

Projects From the Heart

This is just one example and trust me when I say I could share so many more.   This is the heart of our company because this is the heart of our owners and our leaders.  And again, we don’t have to do any of this…We get to!  Since July of 2018 we have hosted over 1600 Russell Cellular Cares outreach projects that have impacted thousands of lives by providing both financial support through the money we raised as well as showing the heart of Russell Cellular by caring for and supporting those in need.  We have invested in students and teachers and school districts, active military and veterans. We’ve been able to support families going through tragedy, individuals battling serious illness and local organizations trying to better their community. We have helped build homes through Habitat for Humanity, helped provided Christmas for kids and families through Toys for Tots and volunteered our time in countless locations across our country. During this we have supported 498 RC Team Members through our Employee Emergency Fund giving, helping team members who have lost their homes to fires and natural disasters, team members who have battled cancer and faced emergency medical situations, team members who have lost immediate family members, and helped the families of our RC team members who passed away during this time.

Inspiring Those Around Us

Now please know, I don’t say of this to say, “look at what we’ve done”.  We don’t do any of this for recognition.  I say all of this to both inspire and challenge you.  People can be difference makers if they truly want to. And that doesn’t always depend on how much money you raise or the number of zeros on a check.  Yes, we raised $1,000,000.  Yes, that’s an amazing thing.  And while yes, we did have some bigger projects during that time that raised a lot of money, the majority of that amount came from a few hundred dollars here and a few hundred dollars there.  It came from $1 donations from our customers, as well as team members donating $2 a month to our Employee Emergency Fund. See, more times than not, it’s not about the money at all. Yes, it helps no doubt, but the most important thing will always be that someone took the time to notice a need and then made a commitment to do whatever they could to help meet that need. Maybe that does involve a financial donation.  Maybe it involves donating your time. And maybe it just involves you being present in someone’s life that needs you to just simply be there.

Brayden’s Fight

When I think about the $1,000,000 we raised, honestly, I don’t think about the money. I think about the faces of those we raised it for.  I think about the families that were impacted.  Like young Brayden in the picture below. Brayden is in the fight for his life, battling a rare form of stomach cancer.  District Sales Manager, Audrianna Ediger and Regional Director, Krissa Shewey rallied their region to support Brayden and his family on his journey. Yes, they raised over $3,000 for his family and that is amazing! But more than that, they noticed.  They noticed Brayden was in a fight and they decided to fight with him.  They decided to do what they could to help Brayden with his need and that is worth far more than any check ever will be.

Sometime today or at least in the very near future you will be faced with an opportunity. Someone you know or come in contact with will have a need.  The question is what will you do to help meet that need? As Audrianna said, “Together, through one small act of kindness at a time, we can change the world.” I’d say we all believe that to be true. But it’s when we put that belief into action that real differences are made. Give it a try! I can promise you lives will be changed in the process…one of which will be yours!

Learn More About RC Cares

If you would like to learn more about our philanthropic arm of Russell Cellular, RC Cares, then click here!

Investing To Change Your World

Mar 8, 2023

“Investing only in yourself gives you the opportunity to change one person.  Investing in others at the same time gives you the opportunity to change ‘your’ world.”

This was a quote I came up with several years ago. It has become a staple in how I try to live daily.  To break it down, it’s about investing in my life while at the same time investing in others.  One problem I found several years ago was that just choosing to invest in one or the other, was leaving so many opportunities on the table. Not only become a better person, but also help someone else do the same.

For example, I unapologetically invest in my own life.  Whether it’s learning, growing, or simply shutting down and getting away, I intend to become a better leader, a better husband, a better father, and a better friend. Honestly just a better person.  When I do this successfully, then my goal to change in a positive way is met.  If I only choose to invest in myself all the time, then I miss an even greater opportunity to help others as well.

Coin Toss

Flip the coin.  If spend all my time investing in other people, I might see lives changed around me, but eventually I will begin to suffer. Which will ultimately lead to no investments being made at all. Let’s be honest, we live in a time where the message of “I” and “me” have escalated above the message of “we”.  Now trust me, I work hard at becoming a better version of “me” and you should too! But when we choose to invest only in ourselves, what have done to help create a better world around us?

Russell Cellular Leaders

We have some great leaders at Russell Cellular and we spend much of our time and resources providing opportunities for them to invest in themselves, growing not only as leaders but also as individuals.  It’s vital and it’s essential. At the same time we spend our energy and resources making sure that those same leaders are investing in others, caring for every person, for the sole purpose of making a difference our world.  One of many examples comes from Regional Director Kevin Ropell’s team. Every single day his leaders are investing in themselves as individuals to become better in every way they can. Whether it’s training, role plays, or simply conversations amongst themselves. They are doing what it takes to become a better “me”.

Investment

That investment has paid off, leading them to become the #1 region in our company last year. At the same time, every single day this same group of “me’s” chooses to be “we” and invest in others around them.  Since July of 2018 Kevin’s team has raised over $135,000 to support community outreach projects nationwide.  They have helped build homes, worked with Toys for Tots, and helped small families who are dealing with emergency and tragic situations. As well as fellow RC team members facing life-altering situations of their own.  In the picture below, they recently chose to support families through the Springfield Ronald McDonald House. Raising over $10,000 to provide emergency lodging and care for families who have children facing incredibly serious medical situations. Choosing to change their world by investing in themselves and investing in others at the same time.

 

Today, I believe you will be given the opportunity to invest in yourself. To change your life for the better in whatever way you choose. Make the most of it because you are worth it! I also believe you will be given the opportunity to invest in others at the same time.  Make the most of it because others are worth it! Do both simultaneously and “your” world will change which means lives will be changed…one of which will be yours!

Learn More About RC Cares

If you would like to learn more about our philanthropic arm of Russell Cellular, RC Cares, then click here!

 

Outreach Locally and in the World

Feb 24, 2023

“Little things can make the biggest difference in people’s lives.”  I’ve said this for years and seen the truth of this statement lived out more times than I can count.  It’s because of those occurrences that I am the way I am today.

Outreach in Nicaragua

The photos below are from one of many outreach trips I’ve have had the honor of taking to the country of Nicaragua.

 

We were working in a village in the mountains outside of Matagalpa. The little boy in the first picture saw that I had a phone and came up to me. He wanted me to take a picture with him.  This led to other kids running up from all over the village and wanting their pictures taken too. As you can see from the smiles in the second picture, they were very excited. Something as simple as taking a picture from a cell phone made a difference in their life that day.

Joy Manipulated

I think it’s safe to say that most of us aren’t impacted in this same way by a picture from a phone.  I mean, buy us a new car, a new boat, or drop $100 in a birthday card and we might get excited and smile for the camera. But just a simple picture…not sure we would run all the way across our “village” for a quick snapshot.

We live in a world that has manipulated what we think it takes to bring us joy and make a difference in our lives.  Because of that, it has changed the way we invest in others.  It’s almost like if we can’t do something “big” then is it worth doing anything at all? I can promise you that this way of thinking causes us to miss so many opportunities to truly make a difference in “our” world.

Local Outreach

For the second year in a row, our home office team came together to provide small gifts and personalized cards for residents of local nursing homes for Valentine’s Day.  Warm, fuzzy socks and simple Valentine’s Day cards were delivered by my team members Brittany Russell and Gavin Goss to residents here in the Springfield, MO community.  For some, this may seem like a small and rather insignificant gesture. Although to the residents the fact that they were being thought of and celebrated on a day, where to be honest most wouldn’t, brought smiles to faces—where maybe one hadn’t been in quite some time.  It didn’t cost a lot of money.  There wasn’t any hoopla surrounding the event itself.  It was simply taking the time to share our hearts in a way that made a difference in their day.

 

I don’t share either story above in a way that says, “look at me or look at what we’ve done”.  I’m as humble a person as you’ll find and need no recognition for anything.  I share both of these stories to encourage and inspire you.  Pictures, socks, cards, encouraging messages, smiles, or just your time. The little things will make the biggest differences when they are given directly from your heart. And in the process, lives will be changed…one of which will be yours!

Learn More About RC Cares

If you would like to learn more about our philanthropic arm of Russell Cellular, RC Cares, then click here!