Making Ends Meet is a nonprofit organization that provides support to single moms nationwide.
I received an email last week from the President of the National Council of Negro Women. This was not the first time I've heared from them. I am proud to say that the women involved with the NCNW are an inspiration. I can say with all my heart that I am so grateful that God gave me the vision to create a nonprofit organization that supports single moms. Last year around this same time the President of NCNW contacted me and wanted to be able to donate groceries for single moms so that they can have a nice Thanksgiving dinner.
It was so wonderful to see when they came into our meeting room and the moms had no idea that they would be receiving this gift for their families. All the ladies that were apart of this amazing organization came in one by one to with Publix grocery bags, so that my single moms would have a great Thanksgiving without worrying about providing all that comes with preparing Thanksgiving dinners. We are fortunate enough to collaborate once again, so that we can give a gift a hope and life to single moms who may have possibly lost that hope. Can I say that just I love what I do for living.
I would love to share a story of people just giving. I hold a support group meeting for single moms every month and one weekend before Dr. Martin Luther King's Day in January this year President Obama held a Call to Action to Serve in all communities that weekend. So I signed my organization up and told the people in my community the needs of our single moms and they were welcomed to donate in-kind items to our organization.
I remember that day so clearly because I was in tears by the end of the meeting. We did not know who would be coming to support us or even there would be anyone there. I had just planned the meeting as usual without even telling the moms. As the meeting started all of sudden people from all walks of life started coming in to donate items that we requested. Now this is where it touched me the most, I remember an older gentlemen with a white beard and his dolly, at first I thought he had the wrong place because I saw all of these boxes on the dolly. He wheeled them right in and started unloading all these items from juices, cereal, healthy snacks for the kids, soap, shampoo, and so much more. I was so amazed. He looked at me and said "we've been volunteering with Habitat for Humanity for over 10 years and my wife made sure that I came down to help our single moms."
I had these two college students that were home for the weekend from Florida State University and they both made an effort to bring gift cards to Target. We had so many generous people that supported our cause and also the Call to Action that President Obama had placed for that weekend to all people to volunteer their time to any organization of their choice. It was joyful, tearful, amazing thing to see. When you work so hard to provide support services to people and when volunteers have the same passion to serve it's an amazing and beautiful thing. That is why we are all here to help one another.
The funny thing was during the meeting the moms had no idea this was even going on so at the end, I wish you could of seen how they all came together to figure out who needed what items and how they distributed the items in manner that was so touching because they could all see who needed certain items for their family. I'm still in Awe!
I've always had this desire to help people in need. That would make sense as to why I created a nonprofit that supports single moms. The meaning behind the story I am about to share is what one simple act can do to make someone's day. In September my daughter and I were in the drive through of McDonald's. I used to stop there every morning to grab of cup of Iced Caramel coffee..yum yum...I had to downsize from Starbuck's to a cheaper brand of coffee. Ha! Well, that morning I decided to pay for the persons order behind me. This urge comes over me once an awhile. It is some sort of natural instinct and feeling that I get and I act on it. The funny part is when I paid for my order I told the young lady that was the cashier that I wanted to pay for the person's order behind me. The cashier looked at as if to say "are you serious", but she went ahead and accepted my money and then I moved up to get my order.
I did not know what that person was going to order, but it was placed on my heart that morning. I looked in my rear view mirror and I noticed the man in his big pick up truck, as he was talking to the cashier. He looked quite surprise, but hey he went along with it. So as I drove off the feeling I had that morning made feel so good. I cannot explain exactly what it felt like. I can say that it made my day. So as I am driving down Roosevelt Blvd. I see this truck on the side of my PT Cruiser and he rolls his window down and so I told my daughter to roll our window down and he said as we are both driving 40 miles per hour "Thank You" with a big smile on his face. I know for a fact that I made his morning and I'm sure he went on to have a great day too. If we all took time out once in awhile just to make people smile and let them know they matter too can you imagine how contagious that would be? It would be such a beautiful world.
Being apart of Compass has really changed a lot in my life. I've met so many amazing women and have developed new friendships. Each day I find this new profound strength that surprises me each day. I'm excited to see the changes and I am looking forward to more growth and showing other women if they just take those first steps it could very well change their lives.
My family and I have gone through medical issues with my daughter in the month of October. I would of never thought that we would be in a situation where my my daughter who is a Ballet dancer and has danced since the age of 3, had to come to a halt when we found out she had a cyst located in the lower part of her tailbone. We've always been a very busy family school, ballet classes 4 days out of the week etc. Now our life consists of my daughter wearing a wound vac and now she in a program within our school district for children that are sick to attend school from home by phone.
I've asked myself and God why is this happening right now and right at this moment. I know we may not ever know the reason. I've had to watch my child go from this active child to a child that is constantly at home due to her surgery. So what have I learned from this? Well, I can say that my family has definitely become closer, we're spending so much more quality time. My Leah is a strong girl and I know once this is all over with she will come back stronger and healthier as ever and be that graceful ballet dancer that she has always been. I think it is hard as a mother to know all the exciting things she is missing right now in her 8th grade year, that she was looking so forward to because Leah attends the School of the Arts and she is in the highest level of dance and this is supposed to be the most exciting experience for her. So why did all of this happen now? What are we as a family supposed to learn from this? I think I know the answer already and I am just happy and proud that God blessed me with such a beautiful, talented, and giving child and he wants to me to really remember that we need to slow it down just a tad bit and focus on what is really important and that is my family.
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