cocorico Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 I've always been someone who helps out if I can, and when I have the resources - time, money, emotional energy - I'm very happy to share. I recently became aware that a friend I'd helped some years back (she was in an abusive R and I "loaned" her some money to escape. It was a gift, but she wanted to pay it back, and I told her to pay it forward to someone else when she could) had qualified as a social worker in the meantime, and had used the "loan" to set up a soup kitchen for homeless people in her (new) neighbourhood. She'd also managed to get a person with severe learning disabilities released from police custody into the care of a shelter, and start a community project for kids at risk with the law. I was amazed at how much things had changed for her in a few short years, and I'm really pleased we've gotten back in touch. She had gone into hiding after leaving the abusive R in fear of her life, and now she is qualified, armed with knowledge and networks she feels confident he will not be able to harm her in any way. She added that one of the weird spin-offs of the soup kitchen was that the homeless people now knew her and kept an eye open for her, and she'd heard later about a couple of foiled break-ins (to her car and house) that the homeless people had prevented, so she felt really safe. I'm sure the people who have benefitted from her help will themselves continue to "pay it forward" to others in turn, and I felt really happy that the small difference I was able to make for her at the time has spawned so much more good in turn. 4 Link to post Share on other sites
Michelle ma Belle Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 That's wonderful! Thanks for sharing. Always great to hear good news stories I couldn't agree more. I'm very much the same way and in fact, it is one of the reasons why I changed careers and have been working in the non-profit sector for more than 15 years. Knowing that what I do is truly making a difference in the lives of so many people brings me such joy and fulfillment. We should all learn to be more selfless and understand that it doesn't take a whole lot to make a world of difference 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Frank2thepoint Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 This is a really nice story. Thanks for sharing it. Your friend is very resourceful to have turned her life into a positive experience. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts