[et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"] Happy Friday you guys! I don't know about you but I especially love it when people I know are out there in this world doing great, amazing, wonderful, thoughtful things! Starting businesses, writing books, championing causes....I LOVE IT!!! During this journey I've been on, the one thing that was always very clear to me was that in my next (and hopefully my last) professional life, I would be doing good things for others. My heart is full that I have friends who do the same.
Today's pay it forward is for my good friend and former colleague Kathy. She, like me decided last year to leave the comfort of her reliable day job after many years (many more than I had) and explore what the world had to offer in terms of her next professional life. After some confusion about what she thought she "should" be doing vs. what she "wanted" to do, she found her calling. Kathy has been involved with a non profit organization called "Pillars of Light and Love" since it's inception last year.
The main focus of this non-profit is to educate children and teens, as well as their parents and teachers, on building and maintaining strong self-esteem, better coping skills, positive communication, and healthy relationships. They believe education will help bring awareness and improve the lives of those experiencing challenges such as depression, eating disorders, addictions, stress and emotional and physical abuse. In addition, they provide programs on Stress Management to the general public, Veterans and those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress issues. Pillars also offers programs to those coping with Cancer, Addictions of Loved Ones, Grief, Anxiety, Career Transition, Divorce, and more. They host many FREE events and workshops for individuals, families and teens focused around these topics. We need more of these! We need more Kathy's! In order for Pillars to be able to host these events for free they rely on donations from the public to stay afloat.
I'm exhausted from turning on the TV and hearing about another suicide, another bullying situation, another domestic violence case. I know that there is more good out there than bad...but when society focuses on the bad more often than the good, things get cloudy. I know there are people all over the world fighting to do good things, amazing things, life changing, world changing things. They are the ones we should focus on...they are the ones we should emulate. As a mother, one of my greatest fears is having my child feel inadequate, having low self esteem or even being the bully, (so far so good, but I know that can change on a dime). None of these things should even be an option. Every human being deserves to live a happy life, no one is better than the other - we're all equal.
It's places like Pillars of Love and Light that need to be highlighted...for the positive messages they're sending, for the great work they're doing. So my pay it forward request today is - give back to this non profit that only started 7 months ago but is already making a big impact in their community. Give them the chance to continue to spread their message of love and light not only to their community but to the world.
Give up you're afternoon latte and make a donation to a worthy cause. Do it because it FINALLY stopped snowing and the sun is out (at least it is in NYC). Do it because you know someone who needs these services for FREE. Do it because you might need it one day too.
For more information and to go to their website to make a donation click this link: http://www.firstgiving.com/PillarsofLight
Have a great weekend!! xo
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