Paying it Forward
Christmas Day 2009, Leonel and Tasi show off their matching lightsabers.
Growing up my family didn't have much. As a single mom of eight, after rent was paid, bills allocated for, and the weekly grocery shopping from Food-4-Less done, there wasn't much left for anything else. I remember it being especially hard during the holidays, when it seemed everyone else was enjoying winter activities or exchanging gifts. However, despite our unfortunate circumstance, Mom always found a way to turn things around.
When I was five, Mom took Stephanie, Nina, and I to a local community center during Christmas. There we received a hot meal, a meeting with Santa, and a gift of our choosing. I'll never forget the plush reindeer I choose–it smelled of vanilla!
In high school, Mom connected with a local non-profit that paired us with a family for the holidays. That Christmas all ten of us–mom, grandma, my siblings and I–received a gift. The non-profit also dropped off bags and bags of groceries. The act of generosity felt sincere. It wasn’t showy, or over the top, we never even met the family. But the care that went into select an items for each person, was felt. It was nice to know there were people who cared that we could celebrate too.
Now that I am an adult and in a place financially where I have more than enough, I seek out organizations that will help me pay it forward. The past few years I've donated to Compass Family Services. In November this year, through a series of slack and social media messaging, I helped them rally enough votes to receive a grant of $500,000 from Google.org Impact Challenge. Funding that will go to providing on-demand mental health services to homeless and at-risk families in San Francisco.
The last two Christmas, Justin and I have participated in the Adopt-a-Family program, which pairs individuals, families, and groups with Compass families who are homeless or at imminent risk. It is truly a rewarding experience to bring some holiday cheer to a family in need, much like my own growing up.