There is something that’s been on my mind a lot lately, and if I’m being honest with you it’s really bothered me for a long time.
People often ask me the same, well-meaning question: “So what exactly do you do in Jamaica?”
After giving the usual elevator pitch, I’ve come to expect a common response: “Oh, so you’re like [insert non-profit organization name here] that gives away houses.”
Let me be clear about something before I make my next statement. There are some incredible organizations doing that kind of work and I respect them deeply for it. We’re all trying to follow our hearts and do what we can to lift people up to do some good in this world.
But to be extra clear about Creators of Hope, we aren’t in the “give a house away” business.
As innocent and well-meaning as it might be, that phrase has always sat a little heavy with me. It’s not the giving that bothers me. It’s the away.
When we say we “give something away,” it often implies detachment. Like we’re passing off something we no longer want or need. But a home isn’t something you toss over a fence and walk away from. It’s not a transaction.
Can you imagine how that comparison makes another human being feel?
We give away clothes, we give away food, we even give away money. It just seems too transactional. And that’s not Creators of Hope. I can promise you that’s not why I got started in this business.
The giving part? Yes, 100% that. All day, every day. I love the act of giving to someone in need. But you know what the best part about giving has been for me? Watching others give.
I’ve seen every one of you give when you didn’t have to.
Maybe it was extra cash in your pocket. Maybe it was an extra beer when you ordered for yourself. Or a jerk chicken pizza you provided when adding one to your order.
What’s had the greatest impact on me? I’ve seen all of us give the most precious thing we all have: our time.
It was an ear to sit and listen to stories of someone’s life. It was laughter over dancing in the kitchen. It was stopping to greet and make someone in the streets of Treasure Beach feel seen.
I still get goosebumps when I think about and write this stuff down. You folks are awesome.
The act of giving is so much deeper than the actual item or moment in time.
So, when we give a home to one of our beneficiaries, please know that we don’t give anything “away.”
I know some of you have gone with me when we circle back a year later, sometimes two years later or longer, and check on one of our past recipients. It’s an incredibly moving and inspiring experience that reminds us about why we do this: we’re giving them hope, and that’s something worth fighting for.
So please, try not to think of us as just “giving a house away”…because the last thing we’re doing is going away!
We give them our time to experience moments. We give them our minds to enlighten us. We give them our energy to stand with. We give them our soul to live with.
Want to know the kicker?
The whole time we think we are the ones doing the giving… when in reality they are giving to us more than we could have ever imagined.
And that, my friends, is a gift with no price tag.
And remember…
Together, we’re all Creators of Hope.
With Gratitude,
Joe
