Giving Back to the Community

Why is it important to give back to the community?  Our community supports us in our careers, our businesses, our families and as we grow as individuals. So, in my mind, the question should be:  Am I doing enough to support the community that has supported me?

Last week, 12 AlphaKORians agreed to volunteer to prepare and serve lunch at the Downtown Mission.  It was a very humbling and eye-opening experience, to say the least.  230 people from our community came to receive a lunch consisting of gnocchi, salad, bun and dessert.  As I was serving the gnocchi, I could not help but imagine what it must be like not to know where my next meal is coming from.   I quickly had to put that thought out of my mind and concentrate on the task at hand.  Anyone who knows me knows that I can get misty-eyed quickly.

As the lunch came to an end, we were thanked by many of the people we had served.  In retrospect, I should have thanked them.  I want to thank them for making me realize how good it feels to give back, how grateful we should be that the Downtown Mission and it's many volunteers exist and how fortunate and grateful I am to have the life that I do.

There are many organizations in our community that need your help, especially this time of year. We are all responsible to some degree to do our part and ensure we take care of each other.  So, I encourage you to go out and do your part by giving back to our community.