Just wanted to share a fabulous email I received from MPM Director of Marketing Jacki Varacalli:
Jean, I thought you may want to know your bug is catching onto everyone in our house. The best way to tell this story would be in monologue style, so here goes.
First let me introduce you to everyone. My name is Jacki Varacalli and I work with TWCCTW/MPM (I think we all knew that), my husband’s name is Mark and our 7 year old daughter is Zoe. My 3 year old son’s name is Brandon but because most of his input was “Yeah, ok” or “Let’s do it” I have decided to leave him out of it but just know that he is all about this too.
Sunday morning Zoe came up from the basement with a toy cash register in hand and her brother running behind her.
Zoe: Look Daddy, I’m collecting money for people that don’t have homes!
Mark: That’s a great idea Zoe.
Zoe went running up to me; her mom and pushed the button to open the drawer on the cash register, as she did there was money sticking out every where, coins and paper money both.
Jacki: Zoe why don’t you put your money away so you don’t lose it.
Zoe: No, I’m giving it to people that don’t have a home!
Mark: It’s just the money from the kid’s bank down stairs.
Jacki: No it’s not, that’s her money from her birthdays, chores and even the tooth fairy too.
Zoe: But mom… I want to give it to the people that don’t have a home!
Jacki: I think it’s a great idea Zoe and very kind of you.
That afternoon she started doing the dishes.
Zoe: I’m doing chores so I can earn more money for the homeless, I don’t want points, I want money for this.
We have a points system so the kids earn points to get things they want including TV time, computer time, special outings and extras.
Mark: Since you are doing this for a cause I think you can earn points and money for doing these chores.
Jacki: I think that’s a great idea and I will match everything she earns and donate it to her cause.
The next day Zoe came home from school very excited.
Zoe: Mom, Nicholas is going to help me collect money! He is going to start doing chores so he can get money to give to the people that don’t have homes.
This brought on a very long conversation about how we can send out fliers to her classmates to let them know what she is doing and how she can do this for her own T-Day project. She was involved in the school grounds clean up for this month’s T-Day project so she was very excited to do this on her own; she has always been very grown up. It then turned into how we can have the children that raise the money take it to the shelter on Sat. 4/4. Then she decided when she grows up she would like to start a shelter of her own so that no one ever has to sleep outside again. This is something that has bothered her since we were walking around DC when she was 3 and said “Mommy, why is that man sleeping on the side walk?” Since that day we have planned to do a Habitat for Humanity project as soon as she turns 16(the minimum build age).
I am so thankful to TWCCTW, we were fortunate enough to host the SIFA choir children and we were able to be involved in their entire US trip by following their journey through their blog. I think a lot of the conversations that came from that and now T-Day are ones children usually don’t have until they are much older and less selfish. My husband and I volunteer with a group of friends and family every year for the National MS Society so the practice of giving back is nothing new to our family but to have my 7 year old start her own T-Day project made me so proud. Way to go Zoe!
Jean, we now have 2 projects scheduled for the April T-Day and I will let you know how both go. Thank you for making T-Day a reality, I can already see how it is going to spread so widely and that many changes are about to happen.
Jacki Varacalli
jacki@mypowermall.com
T-Day Website
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3 comments:
I have tears streaming down my face and goose bumps up and down my arms reading this post from you Jacki. Thanks for posting it, Jean!
Jacki, thank you so much for sharing this message about Zoe's heart inspired desires to help others.
The first TWCCTW Day has touched us, too, and I keep finding our blogs are related to T-Day and helping others . . . and not-so-much on business building and I've been quite curious as to how our strategy will be changing as we move forward.
Jean, you're carrying forth a powerful vision of Ginny's, held pregnant as a concept for so long --- The preparation and the launch of T-Day by you has manifested the most beautiful of births in our troubled world.
And, this T-Day birth reminds us that people really do want to help and to make a difference, but they may not always know how to start, or, feel that their little actions will make a difference. But it's the little actions that can create a huge ripple effect in their lives. So no matter how small the action or how large the action, making a difference happens! And, let making a difference not be equated to only taking action, for some may have limited abilities --- Remember, too, that just by having intentioned thoughts and prayers you will still create a ripple effect of good in our lives.
As I waited for my friend at Big Z's school yesterday to talk over my T-Day Truck Give-Away, I saw trash here, and there . . . so, I cleaned the school grounds while I was there and I laughed, thinking, that we'll now forever be on trash patrol ;-).
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I feel so amazingly blessed to be the one with whom such wonderful people share their inspirational stories and ideas. Thank you and Big Z for all you do!
:-) You Rock, Jean. Thank YOU!
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