It’s been mentioned a few times that I belong to a group of local creatives: Tuesday’s Together. Aptly named because we meet once a month on a Tuesday. We’re one of many local chapters of a national group, The Rising Tide Society. It’s a great place for creative entrepreneurs to build each other up and learn some great business tips. It’s free, if you’re a local creative and not attending, send me a message and I’ll get you connected.
Our November topic is Philanthropy, and a few months ago our group started talking about how we could give back to our community.
West Virginia is in the midst of a foster care crisis. Between 2012 and 2016, the number of children placed in foster care increased by 24%. To put it in perspective, the national increase was 4%. This is attributed to the growing opioid epidemic that is taking this nation, but hitting areas like WV particularly hard. I fear that the numbers for this year will be staggering because, in my own small town, I’ve noticed a marked increase in drug use and problems. It’s a big, scary, complicated problem, one that I certainly don’t have the answer to.
Far too often we fall into a pit of hopelessness over big scary problems like this. We believe that because we can’t see the solution, that we can’t be a part of improving the situation. If you’ve ever been in the midst of your own personal big scary problem, you can probably remember a little thing that someone did for you that made your world a better place and made it easier to make it through. What they offered did nothing to fix your problem, but it made a difference in your life. I think we can all probably call to mind these small instances of kindness….and those are what make me feel that any kindness given, and help provided is worth it.
So while I can’t solve the drug epidemic or the foster care crisis…there ARE things I can do to contribute to this thing that has been put upon my heart. A few weeks ago I met with Blueprints, a local foster care agency. We talked about the current needs they have and the ways that I might be able to help. This November, my local Tuesday’s Together chapter is collecting pajamas, socks, and underwear to help replenish their stock of these items. We’re also going to talk about ways that we can use our creative skills to help some of the foster care agencies in our state do what they do more effectively. I’m really excited about some of the video-based ideas I have, and I can’t wait to hear what others in my group are thinking about working on. These creative endeavors will carry out through 2018.
If you’re local and would like to donate some socks or pajamas, let me know and I’ll make arrangements to get them from you. If you’re not local, I put together an Amazon Wishlist where you can purchase items, they’ll come to me, and I’ll deliver them with our collection.
Thanks to my buddy Allison at Paper Hearts Invitations for creating this super sharable graphic for our project!