Serving Others

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

With the holiday season coming upon us, often people come together to give to others. There are many ways one can give:

• Serving a meal at a homeless shelter.
• Visiting residence at a nursing home facility.
• Bring can goods to a food bank.
• Participating in giving opportunities.

This holiday season we hope that you will find an area that fits your interests and let your light shine toward others who need a little warmth.

Dive Deeper

Some of the above-mentioned activities may be things that are only scheduled as single event. We also encourage you to reflect on simple acts of kindness that you can participate in daily or even more frequently as opportunities arise. In August of 2016, my home, business and school all took on varying degrees of flood waters. While looking back, it all seems like a blur but the one thing that stands out is the love my AOII sisters. Phone calls, text, and messages came pouring in. As soon as they could get to me, a group of sisters from my alumnae chapter brought a vehicle full of food to feed the extra families I now had living at my house. Generous donations were given to help us all get through those trying times. One of my most heartfelt moments was when I received a package from a dear sister. She lived in Bowling Green, KY where the Corvette Museum is located. She knew that my uncle lost his Corvette in the flood and sent everyone in my family shirts from the museum. Another sister drove to every specialty hardware store in New Orleans until she could find a special chemical we needed to spray before rebuilding and brought it to me. There are so many stories that I could share from that devastating time, but they all include glimmers of hope and happiness that I had because someone else said yes to an opportunity to help. Individual small act of kindness when combined make a beautiful outcome in the life of another.

There are so many ways to practice acts of kindness, click here for a list of 101 easy ideas to incorporate to your life.

Alumnae Chapters

Serving together is always fun and having a common cause to stand behind it makes the service meaningful. As a group, share some of the causes near and dear to your heart. Find things that together you can achieve.  If a sister is in need of support, doing something collectively can be a lovely experience for all. Participating in local events can build relationships with community leaders and lets them know that AOII cares. When we let our AOII light shine alongside our sisters, we brighten one another’s lives as well.