Since 1967, a man named Allan Law has not only fed the homeless, but has helped in any way that he can. He gives out necessities that people need to live such as, blankets, socks, bus tokens, and much more.
Law was born in Richfield, MN, a suburb outside of Minneapolis. He was a teacher and saw that his students were coming from low-income families. Seeing firsthand the difficulties that people go through, Law took to the streets of Minneapolis to change lives. After fifty years of helping the homeless, Law founded a nonprofit organization called Minneapolis Recreation Development Inc., to help kids in need who have nowhere else to go. He also lifts people off their feet by finding them housing and jobs. Even on the coldest of days, Law is determined to help as many people as he can. Law is a dedicated man. Since 1967, he has only missed three days of giving back to others. He could not be successful in his mission, however, without the help of others. Volunteers have come together to help donate and make the sandwiches that Law delivers. Law has been recognized for his immense generosity by local programs such as, NBC Nightly News titled ‘Sandwich Man’ Delivers Helping of Hope to Hungry, and in a film documentary called The Starfish Throwers. Law gives some long-lasting insight, “You wouldn’t believe the number of people stranded at night. The goal is to change lives, not to feed more people.”
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![]() Flight attendants have a history of getting thrown under the bus and being the center of attention for negative cases within the airlines. However, Jeffrey Jones is changing the way we see those in his profession. Jones noticed an older woman in coach class struggling in her seat on a articular Delta Airlines flight from Detroit to Nashville due to the neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson's Disease. Sharon Radcliffe, another passenger on the flight, witnessed as Jones immediately took the senior by the hand and escorted her to an empty seat in first class. "For the ENTIRE flight, I could see him checking in on her, patting her back, helping her get up, walking her (holding hands) up and down the aisle and generally ‘mother hen-ing’ her,” Radcliffe shared on her facebook. When the pilot was approached for what had happened, it was as if he was doing his role as a flight attendant and this was just another day on the job. "Thank you to Delta for showcasing my story...which happens to be one of thousands upon thousands of the good deeds and hearts we as flight attendants perform and share everyday in and out of the air." Truly inspirational! Sourced from GoodNewsNetwork. Today's hero is a unique one. Let's travel down to Florida, where I had the pleasure of briefly meeting one of the most enlightening individuals I have spoken with in quite some time! For privacy reasons, we'll call him Little Cubbie, due to his outfit repping the Chicago Cubs!
Living in Florida, I speak to my fair share of tourists who are down for a break from the cold weather and to hang on the beach and catch some rays. This morning, while heading to the elevators, over-enthused, bright eyed, sunscreen soaked face, ready to go Little Cubbie came and joined me. Being probably only 5 or 6 years old, I asked him if he wanted to push the elevator button as I know little kids like to do. But what a surprise I was in for when he said, "No thank-you, you were here first go ahead." Come again Little Cubbie? This response is something you rarely find in a starbucks line with adults let alone an excited little kid! Gold star for the little man. His parents were only a few steps behind, and as the group of us waited for the elevators he looked me up and down and asked if I was going to the beach. Sadly, I had to tell him I wasn't because I had a lot of work to do. "That's ok, hopefully you can go soon because it's right there! We're all so lucky aren't we? Just so lucky..." he replied as he subtly shook his head gazing out the window as if pondering how he got to be in such a great place. The parents and I all chuckled a bit, but let those words sink in for a little bit. Perhaps he wasn't intending that last question to be so deep, but he was genuinely excited and so appreciative to be here today ready to go to the beach! Once the elevator arrived, with a big smile he let his mother push the button and rode down eager to take on the day ahead. Looking back at this, the few lines exchanged between Little Cubbie and myself, surely made my day. At Be Robin Hood we're about helping those who need it most, but also about living life to the fullest. Surely Little Cubbie is only a kid, but we can all learn a little something about appreciating where we are in life, and where we will be going. Have a great day! This spotlight is taking us around the world to a group of clowns, musicians, dancers, performances and anyone who likes to play! Their purpose? They work with refugee families who are living in harsh environments to create a sense of normalcy in the kids lives. They do music, circus, art, dance, cinema, puppet-making, pizza-decorating - anything that they can muster up. “We do anything we can think of to give them an opportunity to feel good and to feel daft and to feel playful.” Over 100,000 child refugees came to Europe in 2016 and Ash and his team are traveling around these camps to have some fun with the children. “Our futures are the dreams we have as kids turned into reality. I want them to feel like they can do anything.” The power of play and importance of happiness and pure joy must never be underestimated. This group of true heroes has set out on a mission, and by returning some of this joy to the lives of these kids, they are undoubtedly helping them cope with their uncertain future. “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world” - Desmond Tutu
It’s words and perspectives like this one that draw inspiration for Be Robin Hood. From small acts of kindness to your friend or any stranger you pass on the street, to people who dedicate their lives to helping others with the endless possibilities, BRH aims to remind people how powerful these notions of kindness are, and the magnitude of impact they have on changing the world. For those who don’t know about us just yet, now is a perfect time to learn. Glancing at a recap of our adventures and successes thus far, I want to share a story of last summer. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful and sunny day for all 11 of us to rally up and head down to the beach for the day’s event. So what was the event all about?? Big day...haircut day! My amazing friend and Be Robin Hood’s Founder, Ricky Marton, had been growing out his hair for a couple years to donate - not just any donation though. Ricky kicked it up a notch and decided to shoot a video and have the rest of us help him out in asking random people at the beach to cut off locks of his hair - yes, we were all a bit unsure of how this would go! But it ended up being one of the most energetic and uplifting days, and it’s all thanks to people’s compassionate hearts. Watch the video here! We got everyone from vacationers, to kids, to moms & dads, to couples and more to one by one cut off each of Ricky’s snazzy braids. One woman was even willing to cut off her own hair to help out..! Needless to say, the day was a huge hit. I remember walking up and down the beach, looking at everyone smiling, laughing, and having a great time and honestly just thinking about how absolutely incredible people are. It’s easy to get caught up these days in negativity, constantly being bombarded with all the people who do awful things...but I’ve always been one to gravitate towards the other end of the spectrum. Just like BRH says - “Positive energy catches like wildfire.” The infectious spirit among all of us and everyone we met that day only continues to grow. In just over a year, Be Robin Hood has given 294 meals to children in need, removed 149 pounds of trash from our world’s waterways, provided over 2000 days of clean water for people in need in the Central African Republic, helped to end illegal animal trade in Zimbabwe, funded organizations to help with medical and education needs in Peru and Haiti, and much much more. That’s just in ONE year. The only way is up from here for Be Robin Hood. I’m so happy to have been part of this monumental journey thus far and cannot wait to see what else the future has in store! |
AuthorThese stories are brought to you by Team Be Robin Hood! Archives
April 2018
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