What would YOU want to be known for on earth? Pixar is asking this very question in a soon-to-be released animated feature film called Soul. We asked ourselves too. Each year, the team members at Matchmaker Logistics convene for an annual retreat – no phones, no emails, just face-to-face communication – to review the previous twelve months and plan for the year ahead. That planning session often revolves around a theme or a mantra. Past themes have included: Excellence is a Habit; Radiate Positivity; and a game-changing concept called Rejection Therapy.
This year, our theme is Live Your Legacy. Every single one of us leaves a legacy. We influence people every day by what we say and do; what we write, create and share. And, all of that influence adds up. That’s why we’re placing our focus on using the power of our lives for the good of those we touch: from our own families to our communities; and of course, to you – our customers, vendors and co-workers.
We started by ditching our traditional team building retreat exercises (think: ropes courses and escape rooms) in lieu of an activity that fostered meaning and connection, not just for us, but also for others. We contacted the pediatric ward of our local hospital and volunteered to bring Christmas stockings filled with age-appropriate goodies to cheer up the children spending this holiday season at the hospital. It all ties in with a concept we learned from this TEDx talk (the talk runs just over 14 minutes, but is well worth watching on a lunch break). Researcher Elizabeth Dunn found that helping others makes us happier – if we do it in a personally meaningful way where we can fully understand the magnitude of our impact.
Inspired by our hospital visit in December, we decided to take on another community challenge for January: feeding hungry children in our very own city. I was shocked to learn that right where we live, 1 in 5 children struggle with food insecurity and hunger especially during holidays, school breaks, and weekends when they cannot gain access to free school lunches. The worst time of the year for food insecurity is right now, in January.
That’s why we decided to team up with NourishNC, a nonprofit that works to provide our community’s most vulnerable children with nutritious supplemental food. The program is elegant in its simplicity: food gets put right into the kids’ hands – at no cost to them or their families. Before weekends and school breaks, NourishNC gives kids backpacks to take home that are filled with enough nutritious food to cover three meals a day. Just $10 feeds a child for the weekend; $35 feeds a child over spring break; and $500 feeds a child for an entire calendar year. Other programs, like Toddler Tummies and Farmer’s MarKid provide food for younger children or those in need of fresh fruit and vegetables or healthy snacks.
We’ve set a goal to raise $1000 – and here’s how we’re doing so far! If you’d like to join us in feeding a child for the weekend, we’d love your help. We’ll be sure to pass on the results of our drive so you can see YOUR legacy in action.
Entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, speaker, and Internet personality, Gary Vaynerchuk says: “Please think about your legacy because you are writing it every day.” This year, we pledged to think about our legacy every day. And once per month, I’ll be sending a Fuel for Thought that explores another facet of this topic. Until then, here are five ways to work on building your own legacy:
- Serve in ways that bring you joy.
- Seize small opportunities. Big may follow.
- Stop waiting to make a difference.
- Think service, not success.
- Relax. Don’t run around building a legacy. Run around making a difference.
Fuel for Thought,
~ Bob
P.S. If you would like to help the kids of NourishNC, here’s that link once again.
