Outreach and investing in others have been a huge part of my life for over 25 years now. I’ve had both the amazing honor and blessing to be involved with projects that have raised thousands of dollars to support organizations in need. Here are some of projects I have been a part of:

• Providing school supplies for thousands of kids.
• Giving shoes and clothes to foster kids along with families in need.
• Helped with large projects supporting children and families in other countries.
• During my time with Russell Cellular I have been a part of building homes for families through Habitat for Humanity.
• Served at huge holiday projects supporting hundreds of families over Christmas.
• Been a part of raising thousands of dollars to support individuals battling cancer, amongst other serious medical situations.

I love investing in others, as well as being a part of groups/organizations that are committed to making a difference in people’s lives, in BIG ways!

 

Defining Making a BIG Difference

I think most people would say they love being a part of the BIG projects that are making a BIG difference.  In fact, I think people spend a lot of time and effort searching for the projects that can make the biggest difference.  I think that’s great! Find a need and do your part in making the biggest difference you can! But… (somehow, I knew, you knew there was a “but” coming) be careful at how you define “BIG”.

 

What I mean is that some people may think it’s a BIG project if it raised “X” amount of dollars, reaches “X” amount of people, or the projects makes “X” amount of impact.  Now trust me, I love big projects.  I love raising as much as I can raise. Giving as much as I can give. Along with serving as many people as I can.  Though the impact of your outreach has less to do with how much you raised, how much you gave, or how many thousands of people it helped.

Be Involved in Projects

The picture below is of a third-grade class in Vestaburg Community Schools in Vestaburg, MI.  Our team from Alma, MI heard they needed some wired ear buds to use in their classroom activities.  It may not have been the biggest need by some people’s standards but to these students, it was their need and that made it important.  Team Alma heard of this need and decided it was important to them too. They didn’t have to raise thousands of dollars. The cost was actually very little, and they already had that amount raised to cover it. They simply needed to respond how they could. As you can see from the smiles, the impact was so important, that you would have thought they would have been given so much more.

 

Today, at this very moment that you are reading this post, there is someone you know, someone from your community that has a need.  While yes, some of those needs may seem bigger than others, the fact is each person’s need is big to them. And the very fact that you notice and then decided to do something to help meet that need makes it a “BIG” investment. It doesn’t matter if you’ve raised $10,000 or $100. It doesn’t matter if you can give 100 pairs of shoes or 1. Remember, earbuds are a “BIG” deal to the kid who needs earbuds. The fact that it’s a big deal to you 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!

Happy New Year! How crazy is it that it’s already 2023?  Seems like time just continues to fly by. I think that’s why the older I get the more focused I am on not missing a moment.  A moment spent with family and friends, a moment to make a priceless memory and a moment where I can intentionally invest in someone’s life in hopes of making a difference that could ultimately change their tomorrow.  No doubt the new year will bring new opportunities for those moments and many others like them. I look forward to those moments where our Russell Cellular family can step in and do our part helping people in our communities navigate life, conquer mountains or maybe just find a reason to smile.  RC Cares is more than a name, it’s who we are and it’s what we do. We are excited to take a step into a new year with our hearts and eyes open to both seeing and meeting the needs around us.

But before we can move forward, I think it’s important to reflect on where we’ve been.  Now, our past was never meant to be lived in, but it is meant to be learned from. It’s there to inspire us to grow, to learn, to see where we’ve been so we can know where we’re going, and to remind us that when we choose to give of ourselves, we can and do make a difference.

RC Cares for Cookeville, TN

I don’t have to reflect back too far to an opportunity we had in Cookeville, TN.  Regional Director John Kilgore’s team, led by District Sales Manager Cody Griffin, was able to raise over $11,000 to invest in a local Toys for Tots project hosted by Life Church in Cookeville.  Over 40 area businesses coming together to make sure families experienced the joy of Christmas. I was able to join John and members of his team for two days as we partnered with other volunteers to help local families shop for gifts for their families, gifts that not only Russell Cellular helped provide, but also many of our customers in that region who chose to partner with us to make a kid smile on Christmas morning. It was truly a team effort!

Making a Difference This Holiday Season

Add this event to others such as the one Area Vice President of Sales, Anthony Badalamenti’s team hosted. This event raised over $8,500 to help provide Christmas for families in New Jersey through the Raine Foundation. Or the many other Christmas projects Russell Cellular hosted through the country.  In all, RC donated over $25,000 and helped brighten Christmas morning for over 700 families and over 4,000 kids!

Now I don’t share this to say, “look at what we’ve done”. I share this so we can reflect together.  Sometimes we need to be reminded of what we can accomplish when we choose to work together for the benefit of others. No recognition, no return on investment, simply doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.  People, businesses and communities laying down their differences and deciding to make “their world” a better place.  When we look at “what we’ve accomplished” it can inspire us, as well as others, to move forward, not only seeing the needs around us, but also choosing to do what we can to help meet those needs.  The result…lives are 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!

It does not take long to realize we are right in the middle of the holiday season. Long lines at stores, crazy traffic, festive lights, decorated trees and lighter bank accounts.  As chaotic as it is, it is the season and I think we’ve learned to manage it if not embrace it every year. Another thing I think a large majority of people do during this season is take for granted that everyone is happy this time of year.  I mean they have to be right? Santa, reindeer, presents and parties… Who wouldn’t be happy!

Reality is that many people are facing situations and struggles that honestly leave very little to be happy about. A medical diagnosis, the loss of a loved one, an on-going battle or just simply trying to make it and wondering how in the world will they ever provide Christmas for their kids.  These situations, and others like them, leave people stressed, worried and feeling helpless during a time that is supposed to be full of hope and happiness.  And for everyone else, it so easy to get lost in the joy of our own holiday season and miss the opportunities in front of us to help change someone else’s.

Holiday Giving

At Russell Cellular, we are intentional with both our hearts and our message in the importance of not only seeing the needs around us but then doing what we can to help meet those needs. District Sales Manager, Taylor Belcher, and her team jumped into action when it came to holiday giving this year. They helped provide holiday meals for local families, that honestly, would not have been able to enjoy them otherwise.

 

Or our home office team that came together to provide Christmas presents for local foster children that found themselves in an unfamiliar and scary place this holiday season. Or maybe it’s like our Batesville, AR team that inspired their entire district to raise support for one of our own team members. Reagan, an RC team member, recently started having seizures due a mass found on her brain that also caused her to lose her unborn child. We are so proud of our RC family for rallying around Reagan during this time.

Meeting Needs Around Us

In none of these situations are we trying to fix their problems.  Money can’t do that.  But what we were trying to do was help someone smile that maybe didn’t think they had a reason.  Help them find hope when maybe they thought hope was lost.  Help them realize they weren’t battling alone, and that people genuinely cared. Hopefully, in the process we would inspire them to someday return the investment to someone else.

Fact is, and I truly believe this with all my heart, when people decide to invest in others for the sole purpose of making a positive impact in their life, not for recognition, reward or personal gain but simply because it’s the right thing to do, not only do people’s lives change…families change, communities change and ultimately, I believe our world changes.

No doubt you are busy, especially right now during this season.  I’m sure you’re planning your Christmas parties, your family get togethers, wrapping the perfect gift and getting ready to experience the joy that comes with this season, and I truly hope that for you and your family, it’s the best Christmas yet! At the same time, I pray you see a need, and in that moment, you decide to do what YOU can to help meet that need.  I promise that your decision to do so will change lives…one of which will be yours!

Ways to Get Involved

If you are looking for ways to get involved this holiday season, here are a few ideas to get you started: Toys for Tots, Angel Tree, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Christmas Spirit Foundation, Feeding America, Make-A-Wish, and so many other great organizations. You can also look at your local community for ideas including blood drives, local food banks, volunteering, and more.

From all of us here at Russell Cellular, we wish you a happy holiday giving season!

Last week we introduced you all to our philanthropic branch here at Russell Cellular called RC Cares. If you missed our introduction to RC Cares and Ron Wallace, check it out here. Community outreach and fundraising are just some of the ways RC Cares invests in our team members and our communities.

On any given day the average person will come in contact with at least one person who has a major need in their life. More times than not it will be multiple people. Regardless of the number, the fact is, there are needs all around us.  The bigger question isn’t the number of needs around me, it’s asking the question ‘what can I do to help meet those needs?’  In fact, I would say most people are pretty good at identifying and even seeing those needs.  The problem is that seeing a need, knowing that a need is there, that in itself doesn’t do anything to make a positive impact in that person’s life.  It will always be our actions that make the biggest difference.

In the picture below, alongside wireless representative Ashlee Lemus from our Douglas, GA location, is the Faust family.  They recently lost their 6-month-old baby unexpectedly to RSV. I can’t imagine the hurt and pain they have experienced from this tragedy, yet they are forced to continue on with life, both of them working two jobs in the middle of their grief to simply support their family.

Ashlee heard about their story.  She saw a need.  No doubt she was moved by their situation. How could someone not be right? But just knowing wasn’t enough.  Knowing caused a moving, an action towards trying to do something to try and help this family.  This wasn’t about trying to fix a problem because there is no fix for this type of situation.  This was just an opportunity to do something for someone simply because it was the right thing to do.  So, Ashlee inspired her team members as well as those from our Fitzgerald, GA location to donate $1,000 to the Faust family from money they had raised from the sale of our RC Cares Products.

These are products that are in all of our locations and are available for our customers to purchase. One hundred percent of the proceeds is donated back into our local communities to help people and organizations that have needs.  You can help us on our mission to serve our community through outreach and fundraising by visiting your local Russell Cellular store.