Making A Difference in the Community
A long time ago I posted this question on Twitter: What do you believe are some of the best ways a person can make a difference in his/her community?
In thinking of some great people whose legacies postively impacted their community, I think of my client Lois, who helped found the Arvada Food Bank. There's also the client who was instrumental in starting the Project Support Senior Center in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Creating a longlasting institution that helps others is clearly a way to make a difference.
But there's also the family that adopted my client Craig when he was an older teenager. I don't know whether or not their love made the difference that made Craig a dedicated and caring teacher to junior high and detention center kids, but I'm pretty sure they gave him some of the tools that made him the catalyst to change many lives. Craig's famly may not have taken on a visible community project, but they certainly made a difference.
Not all community contributions have to spring from selfless acts. I retweeted this story on Twitter about a McDonald's franchisee who left a legacy. Martha Barton made a difference in the community by working her way up from hospice worker to hospital President. But maybe that doesn't quite make my point, because I consider many working in health care to be pretty selfless. Henry Ford's business certainly made a difference in his community, especially because his philosophy of paying workers enough to afford his product was a major factor in growing America's middle class.
So, what do all of these have in common? I think they all boil down to acting outside one's own self-interest. When we do that, we begin to make a difference.
Posted by Karen Brady at 8/17/2009 6:28 AM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: lawyer attorney entrepreneur volunteer business legacy community
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: lawyer attorney entrepreneur volunteer business legacy community
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