Last week I
was fortunate to have the opportunity to lead a group of some of our donors on
a tour of several United Way affiliated agencies.
We toured agencies that provide a wide range of services – from elderly care to day care, and from homeless shelters to after school programs.
It’s really quite astounding when I think about the range of services that our network of agencies provide.
The tour was a lot of fun because I was able to connect employees at a large company with the hands on work that is sustained by their donations.
However, I think the overall takeaway was the first-hand experience with the living and working organism that is the non-profit world in Shreveport-Bossier.
We all sometimes forget that while we are in our own world at work and at home, there are people and organizations in the trenches battling huge problems in our community. It is amazing to go to some of these organizations and see people actually at work changing lives every day.
I will admit that there are times when I get discouraged about what I do. When all I see around me are huge social problems that seem to only grow larger, it does me good to go out and see work being done and lives being changed.
One of my goals in life is to change the world, and that is largely why I chose this job. Days like the one last week keep me motivated to keep working hard because every time a person chooses to give to the United Way, not only have I helped change the world – but I’ve also helped that donor seize an opportunity to change the world.
It’s important for me to remember that when I am out raising money, I’m not taking something from people – I’m giving them an opportunity to make a difference.
And I can do that with a clear conscience because I have seen first-hand that our network of agencies is alive and at work.
