Eclectic Soup
Episode 1: Myra’s Story
Today you will meet Myra and discover how little it takes to truly have an impact on someone else’s life.
First, let me tell you about Myra. And then in a few minutes you will understand how little it takes for you to have a major impact on someone else’s life.
She was an enigma. When I first met her, she was homeless, on the streets with her boyfriend Jack, living heaven only knows where. It changed from night to night – under the bridge trestle until they got kicked out of there, in the park until the cops ran them off, on an empty bench downtown if it wasn’t raining. We ran the local tourism office and always had free coffee and cold water available to the public. We also had seating inside so Myra, and sometimes Myra and Jack, would come into the office for coffee – black with lots of sugar. If it was hot outside, they would hang out and once they had cooled off, they might have a couple of cups. And when it was frigid outside, we provided a respite from the cold. Having a public bathroom was a plus for them, too!
That winter we had a polar vortex. Temperatures were going to plummet to 15 below zero for 5 nights in a row. Because we had other homeless like Myra who would visit our office, we realized that there was a real danger to their lives with this vortex. So we went to our board of directors and asked if we could open our office as a warming shelter for the homeless. As timing would have it, the annual homeless count coincided with the first night of the polar vortex and our office had been charged with taking the annual census of the homeless that weekend. The board of directors voted unanimously to allow this, the health department signed off on our plan, and we were allowed to house up to 15 in our offices. Living in a small rural community, the public got behind our efforts and before long we had a list of volunteers to man the shelter around the clock for those 5 days and others promising food to feed those who would be housed with us. And the icing on that cake – the Office of Emergency Services provided us with cots, blankets, and pillows from their disaster planning supplies.
So for five days and nights, our small homeless population had a place to stay – a place out of danger of the cold, a place where they would be fed, and a place of connection with people within the community. We got to know Myra really well during this time. She had two children who were currently with her mother; she had left an abusive relationship and left the kids with her mom while she was trying to sort out her life. Myra was intelligent, outgoing, loving, and always volunteering to help. She was well-spoken and well groomed in spite of her homelessness. We all just fell in love with her and she became a valuable volunteer in our office.
One sunny morning, early that spring, I found Myra sitting on the front stoop of our building. She was looking rather forlorn and very much lost in her thoughts. I took that opportunity to engage Myra in conversation and admit to her that she was an enigma to me, and also to tell her what an amazing young woman she was even if she didn’t see it for herself. And then I gently suggested it might be time to reconcile with her mother and put her family back together again.
But before we get to the end of the story, let me explain why all of this was able to happen. And believe it or not, it starts with the board of directors responsible for our organization. As their president, I had never been prouder than that moment when it was a unanimous decision to open our offices – a local tourism welcome center – as a warming shelter. No hesitation. Because this particular board of directors is active and engaged, not only with our organization but with our community.
Ten years earlier, I had been part of the Executive Committee of another organization. That organization had a large board of directors and a small Executive Committee which basically ran the organization. The problem was, we weren’t really getting much accomplished. Lots of time talking, lots of time beating that dead horse (full disclosure, no animals were actually harmed in the process) – but few accomplishments to be celebrated.
Do you belong to a non-profit organization? Do you ever wonder how to get your board engaged in the activities of the group? That is a frustration I would hear over and over again in group meetings with other non-profit executive directors. How do we get our board members involved?
And the other frustration is similar – why are we even having a meeting? Do you really want me to attend another meeting where everything sounds like “wha , wha , wha, wha”.
There seems to be a crisis in our non-profit world. A large number of non-profit organizations with only a small number actually being wildly successful in their purpose. Why is that? Where do we go wrong? How do we begin with such great intentions and then get stuck in neutral? There are over 10,000 non-profit organizations registered just in my home state of WV.
Starting, organizing, staffing and maintaining a non-profit organization is not easy but it is certainly doable – thousands have done so. Being successful is another story. By combining proven tools from leadership, faith and relationships into an eclectic soup of simple, optimal, useful principles we can have success not only in the non-profit arena but also in all areas of our lives.
Please register for my newsletter to learn some of the tips and tricks in developing an effective organization. And while my experience has been with non-profit organizations, the same ideas will work in almost any type of business to propel forward momentum for your group and create real change for real people.
Which brings us back to Myra. After that encounter, I didn’t see Myra for several months. Come to find out, she had reconciled with her mother and gained custody once again of her children. She and Jack now have their own place, with their family intact, and are doing well. I can only hope and pray that they continue on a positive trajectory and it only took a few people reaching out, and helping them up, to make a real difference in their world.
“A single act of kindness throws our roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” Amelia Earhart
ESoup 4 Life
Combining proven tools from leadership, faith, and relationships into an Eclectic Soup of simple, optimal, useful, principles that add value to every day.
Eclectic Soup 