Giving More: The Best New Year’s Resolution

By: Monique Thornton @theMATmph

We’re a full month into 2016, and desperately trying to stick with our New Year’s resolutions. At least, I am. I have quite a few. But the most important one has nothing to do with me.

It's easy to get focused what we need to improve in our own lives that we forget one simple fact:  Improving the lives of others can help us improve ourselves too. And with the giving spirit of the holidays fading, if not already gone, I thought I'd rewind the clock for a minute and bring a little bit of that spirit back.

Last October, I was lucky enough to help One by 1, Inc. host its annual Ballin' for a Cause community flag football and charity drive event. With this event, we had two goals: build relationships between law enforcement and the community members and host a successful charity drive. For last year’s drive, we collected new books and toys for kids being treated at Children's Hospital.

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I would love to say that the giving spirit hit me when I was collecting those toys and books at the game. But it didn’t. It didn’t hit me until we dropped the toys off at Children's. When we arrived, we were greeted by amazing volunteers. They welcomed us and our goodies with such appreciation and gratitude. They thanked us repeatedly, took pictures with us, answered our questions, and really welcomed us with open arms. It was like we were visiting family.

What stuck with me the most was the spirit of these volunteers. They took time out of their weekends to help sort and organize donations for Dr. Bear’s Closet. You could feel their passion for the organization. And it's that sort of passion that can cleanse the soul. They made me want to be more dedicated and reaffirm to my commitment to One by 1. And that is something I could not have gotten from anywhere else.

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So find your cause! Find an organization that you believe in and give it all you can. You might find that in end, you got more from it than you could have ever put in. That it fuelled you and gave you purpose. That it gave you another family, another of circle of friends. That it made you whole. That it made you a better person.

For more info on volunteering at:

• One by 1, Inc., visit http://www.oneby1inc.org/volunteer.html
• Children’s National, visit http://childrensnational.org/foundation-site/get-involved/volunteer
• An organization near you, visit https://www.volunteermatch.org/

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