Bedding Down

Last night Steve and went to the annual Dine for the Y event. It is a fundraiser for the local YMCA, of which Steve was a member of this board till this year when he termed out. Even though it is to raise money for the Y, it is a tremendous networking event, too.

For example, I was talking with Andrea Gurcsik, mother of "Muddy" (but that's a whole 'nother story!), a very successful HR manager and also friend of ours, about the details of a board she sits on. During the conversation she told me about how this group, Neighborhood Properties Inc or NPI, is trying to raise money for 30 beds at $175 each. It seems that they found out that 31 clients of NPL, including ten kids, are sleeping on the floor. So they are asking for help in purchasing the beds and bedding.

NPI's mission is to end homelessness for people with mental illness and addiction disorders and since they started twenty years ago they have acquired 100 buildings with 650 apartments. Wow!

So here's the deal. If you or a group of you and your friends would like to help, you can send a check to Neighborhood Properties, Attention: Nancy Murphy, 2753 West Central Avenue, Toledo, OH 43606. On the memo line note Bed Challenge. You don't have to even have the whole amount, but certainly they wouldn't turn that away. It is tax deductible. Andrea shared that the board has divided themselves into two teams to have a little contest to see who can bring in the most beds, so you might want to note that the credit should go to Andrea's team.

So this is what networking is all about. It is not about selling but about finding out the needs of others so you can help them. Simple!

What would our world be like if every single person had this philosophy.