Why I do What I Do and Why I Want to Give Back
by Rose Brown
What A Wonderful Life
My family has always taught me if I have a goal or dream, work for it! They lived it by working hard Monday through Saturday. On Sunday after church, the whole family gathered for dinner and time to play. We were surrounded by family that helped support each other.
They gave us a hand up, not a hand out.
For example, if we wanted money, we had to work for it. At age 8 my Aunt Edith paid us to clean her home, wash & iron. She taught us to help other people. As we got older, she helped us get other jobs to make more money. And every Sunday, she had all 9 of her brothers, sisters, and their whole families over for lunch and family time.
Help those in need during challenging times and lend a helping hand when needed.
We had our share of challenging times. But we always found a way to make it work and still help others in need.
In 1968, we lost our home and everything in it to a tornado. We all survived, by the grace of God. As my parents worked paycheck to paycheck, they bought materials each week. We all helped build a new home together.
One icy and snowy morning, my Mom was in an accident. She had a blood clot in her brain and could not work. People at her work came with a car full of food and supplies to help us when we needed it most.
My mother made much of our clothing. We chose the pattern we liked, and she made beautiful outfits for us. She frequently made clothing for others, including wedding gowns and other dresses. She would not take extra money for it.
We took care of any stray animals on our property. We would keep them or find them a home.
Like the story of Jesus, my Mom would help anyone who would knock. She opened our home and took them all in, family, friends, or acquaintances. In the 1972 flood, our neighbor’s home was completely flooded. They searched for help but did not find any until they got to us. My Mom took them in, even though we did not have extra beds, food, or money.
Take time for Family! Life is Really Too Short
I have learned from loss, too. One day after shopping, my family was sitting in the living room resting. My Dad stood up and grabbed his chest. As he stumbled to the bedroom, my Mom yelled for me to go get help. We had no telephone then, so I ran across the field to my brothers’ home. They put my Father in the car to take him to the hospital, and that was the last time I saw him alive.
Our lives changed forever that day. My Mother was 33 with 4 children ages 9,11,12,14.
After Dad died, my Mom had to work 3 different jobs, and we had to start working to help make ends meet for all of us. We had NO insurance to help provide extra income or to pay for my Father's funeral.
It is Now or Never
I started making and selling things. I would sell everything to everyone who showed up at our home, at the cabin, or walk the valley to sell them to our neighbors…just to make some extra money.
The loss of our dear brother left another hole in our hearts. But we had each other…we stuck together as family…no matter how much we fought as young siblings at home, we knew we had the support of our family.
My stepfather, Gordie, was another inspiration of hard work and giving to others. He worked extremely hard as a mason and taught us how to finish our home. He worked for very little and sometimes no profit. He gave so much to help others. He taught us how to respect others and ourselves.
He always said, “Life was too short...to put up with anything, unless YOU want it!”
Love and let people know every minute how much you love & appreciate them! Never go away mad. Make things right NOW, while you can.
A BOUNCE FORWARD is focused on helping those in need during challenging times and lending a helping hand when needed in our community. I want to act out my purpose to serve others – “bounce it forward.” I want to do anything I can do to help others meet their needs and serve a greater cause than myself.
Some potential causes close to my heart:
Mature Adults: They may need companionship, i.e., someone to talk to and listen to them, a check-in or check-up, groceries, shopping, medical appointments or provide food and supplies when needed. My Mother, May God Rest Her Soul, and I saw first-hand how much Mature Adults need companionship when going to medical appointments.
Harmony’s Heroes: Make a difference now for my great-niece, Harmony! Raise awareness for Down Syndrome through the walk/runs with Harmony's Heroes. Support her educational needs for her inclusion in school. Her preschool gave her a scholarship to support her, and I want to give back that scholarship and support other kids.
Children born with addictions: In honor of my great-nephew, Jackson, support children born with addictions with help, education, and medical needs. Raise awareness about drug & alcohol use while pregnant and how to support a child to grow up and avoid the same path of addiction.
Support for educational and recreational needs for underprivileged children: Help for children for therapy, tutoring, field trips and clean clothing or “pay to play” for any school activities or sports. I see and hear the stories of kids making fun of other kids because their uniforms are dirty, or their sneakers are old, or their socks do not match. I would love to see washers and dryers in the schools for the kids to be able to wash their clothes and have clean clothing to wear...if they want. For all the kids who want to play or participate, but cannot afford the costs, help them find a way to pay.
Veteran Support: While my brother, Bill, was serving in the military during the Vietnam war, a hand-grenade came into their trench. He picked it up and threw it back out to help save lives. While doing so, the grenade went off and he lost some of his fingers. All these years later, he is still having nightmares about his accident. Now, his medical needs are much greater. He needs someone to talk with, to connect to. His immediate family needs respite care for themselves. I want to help keep a social place for Veterans to go, to keep providing them with a special day out, and help provide care kits at the VA & those that are homebound.
Making a Difference: Things happen FAST! Sometimes we need help NOW, like yesterday. Where do we turn, what do we do? There are people who want to get involved, want to help, rescue, want to raise money, but do not know where to start, how, have time, energy, grit, or the fortitude to get it done…that is why we are here to help them. Locally, we have a team fighting to save our community, animals, the environment and make a positive difference! The fire company needs help to keep them in service for their community and to be there for us! There are many more local groups who need support to raise money for good causes...We Will Make A Positive Difference!
My family has always taught me if I have a goal or dream, work for it! They lived it by working hard Monday through Saturday. On Sunday after church, the whole family gathered for dinner and time to play. We were surrounded by family that helped support each other.
They gave us a hand up, not a hand out.
For example, if we wanted money, we had to work for it. At age 8 my Aunt Edith paid us to clean her home, wash & iron. She taught us to help other people. As we got older, she helped us get other jobs to make more money. And every Sunday, she had all 9 of her brothers, sisters, and their whole families over for lunch and family time.
Help those in need during challenging times and lend a helping hand when needed.
We had our share of challenging times. But we always found a way to make it work and still help others in need.
In 1968, we lost our home and everything in it to a tornado. We all survived, by the grace of God. As my parents worked paycheck to paycheck, they bought materials each week. We all helped build a new home together.
One icy and snowy morning, my Mom was in an accident. She had a blood clot in her brain and could not work. People at her work came with a car full of food and supplies to help us when we needed it most.
My mother made much of our clothing. We chose the pattern we liked, and she made beautiful outfits for us. She frequently made clothing for others, including wedding gowns and other dresses. She would not take extra money for it.
We took care of any stray animals on our property. We would keep them or find them a home.
Like the story of Jesus, my Mom would help anyone who would knock. She opened our home and took them all in, family, friends, or acquaintances. In the 1972 flood, our neighbor’s home was completely flooded. They searched for help but did not find any until they got to us. My Mom took them in, even though we did not have extra beds, food, or money.
Take time for Family! Life is Really Too Short
I have learned from loss, too. One day after shopping, my family was sitting in the living room resting. My Dad stood up and grabbed his chest. As he stumbled to the bedroom, my Mom yelled for me to go get help. We had no telephone then, so I ran across the field to my brothers’ home. They put my Father in the car to take him to the hospital, and that was the last time I saw him alive.
Our lives changed forever that day. My Mother was 33 with 4 children ages 9,11,12,14.
After Dad died, my Mom had to work 3 different jobs, and we had to start working to help make ends meet for all of us. We had NO insurance to help provide extra income or to pay for my Father's funeral.
It is Now or Never
I started making and selling things. I would sell everything to everyone who showed up at our home, at the cabin, or walk the valley to sell them to our neighbors…just to make some extra money.
The loss of our dear brother left another hole in our hearts. But we had each other…we stuck together as family…no matter how much we fought as young siblings at home, we knew we had the support of our family.
My stepfather, Gordie, was another inspiration of hard work and giving to others. He worked extremely hard as a mason and taught us how to finish our home. He worked for very little and sometimes no profit. He gave so much to help others. He taught us how to respect others and ourselves.
He always said, “Life was too short...to put up with anything, unless YOU want it!”
Love and let people know every minute how much you love & appreciate them! Never go away mad. Make things right NOW, while you can.
A BOUNCE FORWARD is focused on helping those in need during challenging times and lending a helping hand when needed in our community. I want to act out my purpose to serve others – “bounce it forward.” I want to do anything I can do to help others meet their needs and serve a greater cause than myself.
Some potential causes close to my heart:
Mature Adults: They may need companionship, i.e., someone to talk to and listen to them, a check-in or check-up, groceries, shopping, medical appointments or provide food and supplies when needed. My Mother, May God Rest Her Soul, and I saw first-hand how much Mature Adults need companionship when going to medical appointments.
Harmony’s Heroes: Make a difference now for my great-niece, Harmony! Raise awareness for Down Syndrome through the walk/runs with Harmony's Heroes. Support her educational needs for her inclusion in school. Her preschool gave her a scholarship to support her, and I want to give back that scholarship and support other kids.
Children born with addictions: In honor of my great-nephew, Jackson, support children born with addictions with help, education, and medical needs. Raise awareness about drug & alcohol use while pregnant and how to support a child to grow up and avoid the same path of addiction.
Support for educational and recreational needs for underprivileged children: Help for children for therapy, tutoring, field trips and clean clothing or “pay to play” for any school activities or sports. I see and hear the stories of kids making fun of other kids because their uniforms are dirty, or their sneakers are old, or their socks do not match. I would love to see washers and dryers in the schools for the kids to be able to wash their clothes and have clean clothing to wear...if they want. For all the kids who want to play or participate, but cannot afford the costs, help them find a way to pay.
Veteran Support: While my brother, Bill, was serving in the military during the Vietnam war, a hand-grenade came into their trench. He picked it up and threw it back out to help save lives. While doing so, the grenade went off and he lost some of his fingers. All these years later, he is still having nightmares about his accident. Now, his medical needs are much greater. He needs someone to talk with, to connect to. His immediate family needs respite care for themselves. I want to help keep a social place for Veterans to go, to keep providing them with a special day out, and help provide care kits at the VA & those that are homebound.
Making a Difference: Things happen FAST! Sometimes we need help NOW, like yesterday. Where do we turn, what do we do? There are people who want to get involved, want to help, rescue, want to raise money, but do not know where to start, how, have time, energy, grit, or the fortitude to get it done…that is why we are here to help them. Locally, we have a team fighting to save our community, animals, the environment and make a positive difference! The fire company needs help to keep them in service for their community and to be there for us! There are many more local groups who need support to raise money for good causes...We Will Make A Positive Difference!
