Originally, I was going to write about ‘CABBY’s New Shop’ – you know, CABBY and I wanted to highlight the hard work that has gone into their amazing system and how we want it on all school computers – NOW. I was going to draw attention to the recent Facebook photo series ‘I am worthy of your support’ highlighting that every child deserves our support. It doesn’t matter what their background is – they need us! I was going to rant… “Why isn’t this in the schools yet? It’s about time!”
Then I remembered that we kind of switch off to ‘good causes’ as we think there are so many out there that need our support. Will we really make a difference? I know that sounds harsh, but I have felt that at times with LeanOnUs… “Do we really make a difference?” and “Does anyone really care about what we are doing or have to say?”
Well, I think we do make a difference and I do think people care. The problem is that there are so many social issues and causes out there that need our attention that we get bombarded, and disheartened, at times. We feel helpless, in a sense. We can’t solve everything and never will. BUT something did hit me this week regarding the Jenson’s Journey campaign… I’ll try to keep this brief… Katie, Jenson’s mom, probably doesn’t realise the help that she has been to others. She has run a great campaign and her enthusiasm and information provided through her campaign has helped others. Her hard work (including that of her friends and family) has been for Jenson’s benefit but she has also helped others by raising awareness through her group, sharing on her website and sharing her story with our community. AND yesterday (due to an anonymous donation of 25k) their campaign exceeded the target. Fantastic news! Jaw-dropping news, in fact, and I know Katie and her family are very emotional right now – as we all are. Now, not to sound disrespectful, but we know that people are compelled to support sick children and animals; the defenseless – those that need our help. We also know that Jenson is better off physically than a lot of other children. Think about it though, on a personal level… think of the difference that this surgery will make to Jenson’s life. For those who have watched the pre-op evaluation video, we can see what a difference the surgery will make to his life.
We have other members in our community who are doing great things too. A group of people who put themselves out to support others. Yes, they are all doing their ‘own thing’; they may even have a business based around the subject area – but they are still helping and putting themselves out there to help and support for little or no gain to themselves. I don’t like mentioning names, as I can’t include everyone, but wanted to follow the example of Shara! In particular, I think of CABBY, Danielle, Simon, Bruce, Timothy, Shauna, Chris and Bob… and the list does go on… seriously, it does!
Obviously, I work more closely with some than others. It just depends who can corner me and obviously what I am able to do for them. So getting back to “Can we make a difference?” –
“Yes, we can.” Not only has Katie shown it but we have seen a major achievement with Chris and his Angry Policyholder campaign. Chris not only fought his personal battle with insurers he has also raised awareness for a need for a change and it IS happening. It has taken Chris over three years to get to where he is now (including thousands of emails) and change is continuing as we speak. Chris, with the support of his family and followers, has achieved so much. It’s a campaign like this that makes you realise the hard work and the fight pays off in the end. It doesn’t just benefit Chris personally even though his fight started out as a personal one. It is also benefiting those in the future due to the changes that are slowly taking place.
So, back to CABBY, who now has his shop up and running, to help gain more funding for ShieldCPS Reporting tool (formerly CAABS)… working long hours. He is really working hard to raise awareness of a system that he and other’s believe in. A system that he invented. Really, it’s not about the cost of getting ShieldCPS (RPT) into schools; it’s negligible. It’s about us getting our heads around the fact that there is something available now that can help children speak up. CABBY has put his heart and soul into this system and his forward thinking WILL help a child near YOU.
We need YOUR support because we are a community with heart and action!