A Beautiful Act of Service
A beautiful thing happened today and I am grateful I was there to participate in it and witness it. A group of 10 men and teenage boys from Boys to Men Mentoring of Georgia gathered to volunteer at Atlanta Union Mission’s Thrift Store in Marietta.
After a great breakfast at IHOP, we spent a little over two hours sweeping, folding linens, straightening racks of clothing, collecting hangars, taking out the garbage and dusting furniture. We let the boys and Jmen (the boys who have been through the rite of passage) know the value of being of service to others before we got started by reading to them some quotes of famous people, from Einstein to Jimmy Carter. Circled out in front of the store in the cold morning air, we spoke to them of the importance of doing the work with intention and to be aware of how others were benefiting from it.
Some of these young guys may not have really understood the scope of their impact until the end when Vicky, the store’s manager, shook hands and told everyone how much it meant to her that we came out to help. The boys listened to her as she told them how the money from the store went to help feed and shelter the homeless in Atlanta and provide some of the funding for rehab programs. With tears in her eyes she thanked us again and we closed out the event with a circle in the parking lot – each teen and man saying what they needed to about where they were at after this experience.
Boys to Men Mentoring of Georgia is dedicated to providing events such as these. They are rich in what they offer participants. They are valuable to community. They build character through the expansion of awareness beyond one’s personal space.
Being of service is part of our hard-wiring as men. I felt today that things were as they should be – men and boys working side-by-side for the benefit of others.
Share with others what we are doing. Tell parents about us. Send them to our website (below). Tell men in your lives we are looking for mentors. Help us grow and reach out to more boys who are looking for guidance and acceptance as they attempt to navigate the chaotic waters of their adolescence.
Boys to Men Mentoring of Georgia, Inc.
www.boystomenga.org
mzavadil@boystomenga.org
770-596-7759
“When you help someone up a hill, you find yourself closer to the top”. ~ Brownie Wise
