2022 “Serve First” Donation Wrap-up

by Jan 10, 2023Insights

When I did my own VTO 6 years ago I defined 4 core values: Serve First, Kindness Matters, Get it done, and Learning+Doing=Growth. This program emerged when I created a 10-year target to give away 20% of my revenue as a way of living my Serve First value. Through Serve First, I put my resources where my heart is and support the passion for serving that exists in many of the people and organizations I work with.

Through this program, I make a $200 donation on behalf of all my active clients, a $200 donation for all officially graduated clients, and a $250 donation for any person or organization that holds a seat on my accountability chart. I’m excited to announce that 2022 was a record donation year, with a grand total of $9,500 being shared this year!

Here are a few highlights for this year’s Serve First program.

My Chosen Organizations

Every year there are a few groups I don’t hear from before it’s time to donate. In those cases, those donations go into a lump sum to programs I choose. For 2022, I split this amount between The Big Give and a fundraiser for my local school district, West Ottawa Public Schools.

The Big Give

Through fundraising events hosted throughout the year, this annual giving program from Elite Fitness Development ends up generating a six-figure sum that sponsors hundreds—sometimes thousands!—of underprivileged West Michigan children. You can learn more here.

WO Cares

Through an initiative called WO Cares, members of my local community raised funds for public schools in West Ottawa. These funds will help school staff provide resources for students needing basic support (coats, mittens, shoes, boots, etc.) in the coming months.

Made-me-smile Charity: Red Glasses Movement

I had never heard of this charity, and their webpage with smiling kids and supporters sporting red glasses touched my heart. Here’s a blurb from their website:

“The Red Glasses Movement was started in honor of a very special 5-year old girl, Audrey Jandernoa, who passed away in 2018… Audrey was defined by her bright Red Glasses, her contagious smile, and her lack of inhibitions… The Red Glasses Movement is Audrey’s living legacy.”

Visit their website here!

This Year’s Donations

$200All Good Sports
$400Benjamin’s Hope
$200Community Action House
$200Compassionate Heart Ministries
$200D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s
$200Dogtopia Foundation
$250Escape Ministries
$200Family Promise
$200God’s Kitchen
$200Habitat for Humanity – Kent County
$200Habitat for Humanity – Benzie County
$200Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes
$400Kids Food Basket – Muskegon County
$400Kids Food Basket – Kent County
$800Kids Hope USA
$400Mel Trotter Ministries
$200MOKA
$400Muskegon Rescue Mission
$200NAACP – Grand Rapids
$200PMSI Cares
$200Ready for Life
$400Ready for School
$200Red Glasses Movement
$250St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
$1,200The Big Give
$200The Bridge Youth Center
$200The Rock (via Grant Me Hope)
$200Wings of Mercy
$1,000WO Cares (via West Ottawa Public Schools)
$9,500Total

As we head into this new year, I encourage you to find ways to connect with and support organizations in your community. You never know whose life your leadership may positively impact!

Recent & Related

Transitioning Leaders Using EOS™ Tools

When you have a member of your leadership team leave, filling a key seat with a new person can happen one of two ways: smoothly or chaotically. Utilizing the tools provided by EOS can support your efforts to ensure a smooth transition,...

read more

Overcoming the 3 Barriers to Delegation

At the beginning of every EOS journey is Focus Day. It’s a day dedicated to establishing the leadership team, setting rocks, and learning about the five leadership abilities and how you can use them to create breakthrough moments for your...

read more
Defining Resilience with EOS Implementer Nathan Beene

Defining Resilience with EOS Implementer Nathan Beene

In my last blog, I posed a few questions around how we as individuals define resilience, and what it means to us to be resilient. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Nathan Beene, the COO of the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation and a fellow...

read more