Let's Get Some "In The Box" Perspective

Last Thursday afternoon, I was having a conversation that included the observation that people can sometimes be cruel. From outta nowhere, the voice in my head said "uh oh. This is taking a turn towards 'bummer'. Perspective is needed."

(A side note: I am Irish, which means that a phone ringing at 9pm does NOT bring good news. However, because of my "PollyAnna-ishness", I'm more of a realist than anything else. I realize it is not my job to provide perspective when none is requested, but that was my first reaction. I'm just being honest here. So shoot me. Continuing ...)

I hadn't discussed the luncheon I'd attended a few hours earlier because I was still getting my own perspective together, to try to - just make sense of what I'd heard, I guess. So I proceeded to share the event, and I'll do so here, too. Maybe you can make sense of it with me. Maybe we can get some perspective together.
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The luncheon I attended was for the County Volunteers Organization. You see, every non-profit must register in the county to maintain their non-profit status. This luncheon recognizes the work of those organizations and their volunteers that make the work occur.

There were more than 800 non-profit organizations represented, each with a handful of their top volunteers. I was there not as a representative of a non-profit, but because I have worked for a company who is one of the top three supporters for the County Volunteers Organization. (Someone has to help pay for the event, after all.) The company had purchased several tables (donating the cost to help non-profits to attend without having to buy a table), as well as underwriting the cost of a few of the awards.

Part of the awards program includes having the youth volunteers present and announce the youth awards for the year. The submission process for how to get a name to be considered is that two separate volunteer organizations need to submit names ... so if Bill is a great volunteer at both the local YWCA and the Boys and Girls Club, both of those groups would collaborate on getting Bill nominated. This is done to prevent a larger non-profit from taking over all the categories and it keeps the playing field level. This year, more than 300 names were nominated in the youth category, and 5 were chosen as winners. Each winner gets $3,000 towards college expenses, a new computer, and their current schools will get a $2,000 check for supporting and encouraging the volunteer effort of said youth. The one that made me cry (and yes, I cried) was the story of the 8th grade boy who has created a program he calls "In The Box".

It works like this:
A mom shows up at a battered woman's shelter with her children. She's traumatized, scared, confused, and possibly physically hurt. Her children are traumatized, scared, confused and possibly physically hurt ... but things are gonna change because she's finally taken a step towards change. Now the good news - the REALLY good news - is that there are a bazillion professional organizations just waiting to help out in this kind of situation - donated medical care, child services, schools to welcome the kids, etc. but "In The Box" is unique and serves a specific need.

There are some specific days that are tough on shelters - charmingly, the worst seems to be Mother's Day. So if said mom shows up on Mother's day, she'll get box with pancake makings and a robe, and her kids will get a box with craft supplies so that her children can make her a Mother's Day card. If mom shows up near the start of the school year, she gets lunchbox supplies (non-perishable) and the kids each get backpacks with the basics (notebook, pencils, crayons). If mom shows up on Halloween, there's healthy snacks and "make your own costume" stuff for the kids. On Valentines Day, mom gets a picture frame and the kids get supplies for making cards.

How simple, right?

So the kid that started "In The Box" got this idea after he saw his father beat the crap outta his mother for many months on end. And she was at the luncheon - attending in a wheel chair because she can no longer walk. And her son - who was one of the 5 selected for the award - is in the 8th grade. He's been doing "In The Box" since the 5th grade. And he includes a letter with his story in every box he creates, making sure that he signs each letter. He goes to local merchants and companies and gets them to donate whatever he needs ... actually, he said he makes them donate.

And yeah, I'm gonna say it again. He stared this in grade 5. When he was somewhere around 10 years old, he saw a need after having had experienced it himself, and said "I wonder if this would help."

Now I realize "In The Box" started as his way of dealing with things, but this was what he chose to do. And now his school has made it part of their charter. "In The Box" has been built into a larger "crafts" class - so instead of him having to create all these boxes alone ('tho he admitted his younger brother helps), he has 250 assistants.

And he's a realist, too. After he was presented with his award, he admitted that he knows he isn't changing the world. That these things are still gonna happen. But - and he actually SAID this - "I don't wanna change the world. I just want to take care of neighbors. And neighbors are everywhere."
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So it took me a few hours to process all of that. Hell, I won't lie - I'm still processing it. I hope to be processing it for a few months.

I've been using the phrase "it takes no talent to bitch" for more than a decade now. To me, it means "don't sit there and tell me what's wrong, offer a solution of some sort". There is much wrong in the world today. A 10-year old shouldn't witness rage between his parents and yes, people can be cruel.

Maybe it's time to think "In The Box".