What can I do? What can WE do?
What an interesting space we are in right now. With so much uncertainty swirling around, I feel oddly calm. I am normally ridden with anxiety, so I am not sure why I do not have an unusual amount around this situation. I am not sure if I am like a bird with my head in the sand, but I feel oddly positive about the future. I feel a need to take a pause or slow down with what is going on. Life and work have been so busy lately. A little time to step back and refocus just might be the silver lining here?
When I was in the hospital 7 years ago, it was insane to me the medical bills that we accrued. While I was not 100% with-it and my husband dealt with them all, it blew my mind the little tidbits and numbers that he shared with me. Thankfully, we had insurance and an insanely powerful support system. I believe that I wouldn't have gotten through that time in my life without the help of every single meal delivered, babysitting; without the unwavering support of my mom who moved to our town for a month, and when I still needed help came to drive the kiddos and me home every day and stayed with us when my husband was traveling for work overnight; my dad driving me to Duke multiple times that year to have my eye sight repaired with two surgeries and follow up appointments; and most importantly the support of my husband who carpooled the kiddos to two schools and me to my office and then worked all hours and fought with the insurance company over every bill and dealt with my memory lapse and grumpy attitude that I only let him see. You are a saint, Tyler Cooper.
What do people do who do not have a support system? Parents who can't drop everything and come running to help you raise your own babies? Or the means or know how to dispute the insurance company over the bills? I have thought about those people a lot over the past year, and how I want to do more to uplift women and children in need. I keep thinking how can I help? How can WE help?
Everything I keep seeing is that there are children who get two meals a day at school. With schools being closed, how will these children get meals? I want to help. I hate to think of a child not getting the basics they need. I have decided to donate a portion of sales while schools are shut down over the upcoming weeks to help feed children who are not getting meals because they are not attending school. I will make a weekly donation to a food bank that provides food for children and mothers in need.
I have been talking about starting a foundation for the past year. I get asked to donate items to many events throughout the year. I love to donate, but have felt over the past couple of years that I want to attempt concentrated efforts to increase my impact. This only fuels my desire to start my foundation... for situations just like this where mother's and children need a leg up during difficult times. My goal is to periodically make donations to charities with a strong mission to help women and children locally, nationally, or globally. For now I will be making donations weekly to help feed children affected by school closings due to the coronavirus.
Stay well and positive about how we can have an impact on those less fortunate during this un-chartered territory.
BIG LOVE, Jane