Wynterspromise

My friend Melissa and I were recently talking about helping others in need. Mel has a huge heart and works with Casa. Casa is an organization that helps vulnerable children through a program that gathers information for the court system so a judge or commissioner can order services, interventions and/or schedules tailored for the child’s safety and overall best interests. I know it is very stressful because it is always in the best interest to keep the kids with the parents but that doesn't always happen. Amidst the cases it is also very emotional to hear the stories of the struggling parents and children. Casa is not the only thing that Melissa does though! Last year after the California fires, Mel took on the responsibility to help a family in need.

She recently reached out on Facebook to request donations to aid in this family's latest plight. The fires in Paradise left them homeless. Melissa secured a trailer and had it delivered to California for the family to live in. They have a storage locker with some of their belongings in it as well as a PO box to keep connected with FEMA. The mom, Wynterspromise, is not only dealing with not having enough money to pay for these necessities but also has had issues with the trailer and her car needing repairs.

One of Melissa's thoughts recently was that we as a societywe

have a harder time donating money to humans in need. I think so many times we can come up with reasonable solutions as to why somebody shouldn't be in a certain circumstance or have obvious answers to problems others have. However, many times when we are in bad and stressful situations, we don't always make the best decisions because we are looking for immediate fixes. Sometimes the fixes are band aids that fall off and the problems are only temporarily resolved. Sometimes it is not even a bad decision but the only viable option, so we choose actions that help in the short term but maybe not the long term.

I saw a story about a young man, Carson King, at the Iowa football game last week who held a sign-up during ESPN's "College Gameday" coverage. He was asking for funds to replenish his supply of Busch Light beer. I believe by the end of the day, he had about $20,000 in his Venmo account! He originally thought someone might donate enough for a case of beer, not over 1300 cases. He ultimately decided to donate all the money, except enough for one case of beer, to the University of Iowa's Children's hospital. The hospital overlooks the field and I read that during each game they wave to the kids. Truth be told, this story made me cry tears of joy. Busch and Venmo pledged to match Carson's donations. Last I checked, they were over $200,000.00!!! Way to go #CarsonKing

Getting back to Melissa's theory, she may be right. Carson King is an honorable, giving, and truly amazing guy who is helping so many in need right now. The crazy thing is how many people were willing to donate for a beer fund!! I know that Wynterspromise is still in dire straits and could use a donation, big or small. If you would like to contribute, her Venmo is www.venmo.com/Wynterspromise. Another option is, PayPal.me/wynterspromise. Thanks so much for considering.

#carsonking #wynterspromise #dogoodforothers #belikejoe