“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
