Our communities are filled with individuals who need help. Physical disabilities, finances, and personal hardships keep them from completing tasks that you and I take for granted. In some instances they have no family and in other situations they have family that cannot, or will not, help. Where do they turn for assistance? How do these everyday jobs get done? These people need good neighbors. That, my friends, is where you and I come in.
This week we reached out to an individual who needed help raking leaves. Now, those that have followed our blog over the years know that we have done this type of volunteer task in the past. They will also know that I absolutely hate to rake leaves. Well, I used to anyway. Today I hate raking my leaves, but I love helping others with theirs. Crazy, I know.
Leslie is 60-something female who awaits total shoulder replacement surgery. She lives alone in a small home with a small yard. Needing assistance, Leslie reached out to our friends at Neighborlink Fort Wayne. Her project was posted on the website and that is how we learned of her need. That is what makes Neighborlink great and why it is one of our favorite organizations for which to volunteer. The organization is the definition of “a good neighbor”. They open up their eyes, their ears, and their hearts to the needs of our community. They connect everyday people, like you and I, to those who need us. That is exactly how we ended up on Leslie’s front lawn.
We raked and blew all of the leaves in Leslie’s yard to curb in less than an hour. One hour! The time invested was small, but the impact was large. Leslie was quick to show her appreciation we were done with her words and her heartwarming actions. She kept saying that she wished that she could repay us for our time. She doesn’t know that the smile on her face was all the payment we needed.
There are hundreds and thousands of Leslies in our community. I guarantee that there are the same number in your community. Being a good neighbor is easy. You have to be willing to open your eyes and see the need in your neighborhood. If cannot identify it on your own find a great organization like Neighborlink. They will connect you with great people who are in great need.
Now…….grad a rake and get busy!
impact52.org 
NeighborLink is a great organization and one that I support.
You can also take the initiative and do this with a group of friends. This past summer, a number of us from our church decided to adopt a neighborhood that has about 1000 homes/families and with a little organization we were able to do similar work.
A couple of Saturdays we had about 50 people gather for a couple of hours to rake leaves and by teaming up we did the leaves of about 25 homes. Most of the residents were elderly, in their 70’s and 80’s and by working together we saved these people money, made a positive impact and touched a few lives.
Thanks Aaron, NeighborLink and others for inspiring us.