Giving Tuesday, George Bailey, & Non-Profit Work

I think if I found my high school yearbook, I may have mentioned that I wanted to be a chemical engineer (what was I thinking). And one point prior to that, I wanted to be an optometrist, well, until I found out that I would have to dissect a cow's eye. No thanks. And at another point, I wanted to be a meteorologist. What can I say, I am a self-proclaimed overachiever. I certainly would have never guessed that I have made a career out of giving back to my communities by working in the non-profit sector, but I wouldn't change it for the world!

I always had a love for volunteering and non-profit work since I was a student at #BishopMcCort high school in #Johnstown Pennsylvania. I remember being a student at McCort and we did volunteer work at the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen in downtown Johnstown. There I fully started to understand what it meant to serve and treat people with dignity. To me everyone matters, I don't care who you are or how much money you have or what your career or social status is, I will treat you with kindness and respect.

I continued to be active in volunteer work throughout undergrad and grad school. I remember learning so much about giving back and fundraising at Barry University and Florida International University. I will never forget my work study job with Caridad MacNamara & T Gomez. I learned from the best and learned all things about putting on a high-end gala, golf tournaments, corporate sponsorships, and so much more! I learned to present myself with poise and grace in all situations. At Florida International University, I had the opportunity to see the impact large scale student run philanthropic events have in our communities through the work done at FIU's #DanceMarathon #4theKids. Thanks Walter J. Maldonado Brown, Ph.D. for involving me for so many years in the beauty of dance marathon with my 5am Zumba classes!

After grad school, I had the opportunity to work at Barry University for many years wearing many hats! I will be forever grateful to Dr. Roxanne Davies and Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin and so many others for providing me the opportunity to give back to Barry University as an employee for so many years! While at Barry, I had the opportunity to do some consulting with some amazing organizations including the Honey Shine Mentoring Program, Alonzo Mourning Charities, and Wade's World Foundation.

One of my most memorable non-profit experiences was working with my twin sister Dr. Tragil Wade-Johnson on what I call my non-profit boot camp working with Wade's World Foundation in Miami and Chicago. We wore many hats, and we did it all for the young people. We knew that the experiences and opportunities that were being provided were going to provide life-changing impact for the youth involved. Around this time, in 2015, I also became a born-again Christian which was a life-changing moment in my life. I will be forever grateful to Tragil and Pastor Jolinda Wade. My time with them in Chicago increased my faith and I started to live my life for Jesus. I volunteered a lot at Pastor Wade's church in Chicago and those experiences were priceless to me. I remember specifically a man named Hammer when we were volunteering on the South Side of Chicago. He was such joy to spend time with and in a normal world, our paths may not have crossed, but when God intervenes, He connects those who need to be connected - for a moment, days, weeks, months, years or even a lifetime.

With that being said, I don't think we realize the impact that each of us makes in each other's lives. I know life can be hard, heck it can be for all of us, in different ways. As a Christian, I lean on a variety of Bible verses to get me through and to inspire me. One of those verses is John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Another favorite verse of mine is Romans 8:28 which says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

When I think of impact in people's lives, I ultimately think of the movie It's A Wonderful Life and how George Bailey was down on his luck. He was doing so much for others and became overwhelmed with life. He thought his life didn't matter, but with the help of his guardian Angel Clarence, he soon learned that his life did matter, and the world would have been quite a different place if George Bailey hadn't been born at all. If you work in non-profit or if you give back to non-profits, know that your work and the donation of your time, talent, and treasures does matter no matter how big or how small!

After working with Wade's World Foundation, I had an awesome opportunity to work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County and the Jupiter Medical Center Foundation. I learned so much about the impact that both organizations made in the community.

While working with the Boys and Girls Clubs in Martin County, I had the opportunity to be part of all of the local Chambers of Commerce which were super impactful in my life and I continue to do business in Martin County and have developed friendships that will last forever. Thank you to the Stuart Martin County Chamber of Commerce that was instrumental and still is instrumental for building relationships. Shout out to Amy Pearlstine for connecting so many. Networking and building sustainable and genuine relationships are key to any field you are in especially non-profit work. I highly recommend joining a local chamber and get to networking ASAP! Shout out to Candace Lopes and Dr. Lisa Grassam as well in Martin County. Both of these ladies taught me the importance of taking care of ourselves!

I know I am bouncing all over the place, but you get the picture. At one point, I went to see a movie in Spring of 2019 (I think...seems right due to my calculations) and I kept getting a calling from God into ministry. Not long after that, I received a LinkedIn message from someone at WayFM...and the rest is history. For the past 3.5 years, God has provided me an opportunity to work full-time in ministry. I have met some of the most phenomenal people during this time and I am so grateful to be doing the Lord's work. I will be always grateful to BJ for hiring me and for Dana Lawson for his constant encouragement, inspiration, and guidance.

Giving Tuesday has inspired me to write this article and shout out to so many who have impacted my life through my work in the non-profit sector. I hope this article informs, encourages, and makes you smile. I hope that this article lets you know that God has you right where He has you for a reason. He has great plans for your life. I hope that you, like George Bailey, know that you matter, and the world is a better place because YOU are in it!

There are so many lines that I love in It's A Wonderful Life, but I hope the one I am choosing makes you giggle a bit. As a fundraiser I love this line, "I wish I had a million dollars...hot dog!"