Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington’s Post

In the heart of City of Northfield, MN, a small lemonade stand became a beacon of community and kindness. As the sun danced between the leaves, two young entrepreneurs set up their stand, their faces alight with the joy of summer. They had a simple offering: lemonade for a dollar an adult, free for children, and a sign that read, "Free if you don't have any money." The stand wasn't just a business; it was a lesson in empathy, a testament to the values instilled by a mother who believes in the power of understanding and generosity. The eldest daughter, with wisdom beyond her years, decided that no one should be left thirsty because they couldn't afford a drink. As neighbors and friends gathered, cheering on the young girls, the lemonade stand became more than a spot for refreshment—it became a place where community thrived. The laughter of children mingled with the chatter of adults, creating a symphony of togetherness. And now, as I share this photo of their lemonade stand, I'm reminded of the impact of small acts of kindness. It's a reminder that our children are watching, learning, and growing into the compassionate leaders of tomorrow. Let's cherish these moments and the lessons they teach us about the spirit of giving and the strength of our community. #NorthfieldMN #CommunitySpirit #LemonadeStand #KindnessMatters #InclusiveLearning #EmpathyInAction #FutureLeaders #Northfieldnews

🥛 Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk: What it Means to Me🥛 I grew up very poor, raised by a single mother before being adopted at the age of 10 by my aunt and uncle. My mother didn’t have a job for most of the time I lived with her; we were on food stamps and didn’t have much money. I remember many late nights riding the city bus around town and waiting outside fast-food restaurants as they closed, begging for food they could give us instead of throwing it away. One day, when I was likely around 5 years old, I went to get some milk from the fridge. It was a brand-new, full gallon of milk. I went to pour myself a glass, but the jug slipped from my hand, hit the floor, and milk went everywhere. I burst into tears—not necessarily because the milk fell and made a mess, but because I knew we couldn’t afford mistakes like that. My mother rushed into the room to console me; she saw me distraught and crying. I remember her laughing and saying, “There’s literally a saying for this: ‘Don’t cry over spilt milk.’” That moment became an indelible life lesson for me. I knew even at the very young age that I never wanted my children to feel the way felt in that moment. I knew that there was more that could be done and we didn’t have to live that way. The impact of growing up this way is evident in much of who I am today. It influenced my choice of a low-risk career and my frugal approach to life. I’m not looking for pity; as I’m very grateful for the way I grew up. It helped instill the incredible drive I have today. I actually have a fear for my own children: While I never want them to experience the hardships I went through, I wonder if they’ll lack the same motivation and grit that those hardships instilled in me. How do you teach the value of a gallon of milk when the fridge is always full? I am happy to say we don’t cry over spilt milk anymore, but the essence of that saying will always resonate with me and guide how I raise my children. #DontCryOverSpiltMilk #LifeLessons #Resilience #FamilyFirst

Service opportunity! It's often hard to figure out how/where to start when you want to help meaningfully with an issue as huge and nebulous as homelessness, but good works like this REALLY make a bigger difference than you might think. A long, long time ago, when I stayed at Urban Peak's youth shelter, our lunches and dinners were provided by volunteers. Sometimes, the person/group who had signed up would no-show, so our backup was frozen burgers. These events were particularly memorable because the burgers nearly always set off the smoke alarms, and when that happened, we had to go hang out across the street and wait for the fire department to visit and confirm that everything was okay. We made the best of it (brought blankets out to huddle in, pretended to have mini rave dances in the fire engines' lights) ... but no matter how we acted on the surface, every one of us still was hit at least a tiny bit by the stinging message of "People don't keep promises. You're forgotten. Nobody cares about you." These painful beliefs/harmful self-perceptions are already a dangerous, easily-triggerable vulnerability for everyone experiencing homelessness or other chronic trauma, and particularly young people. It wasn't super common (probably happened around once a month on average during my stay), and was very much outweighed by the friendly sincerity of all the volunteers who DID show up -- especially those who would hang out and eat with us (others would sometimes act awkwardly obligated the whole time they were in the kitchen and then nervously shepherd their families away as fast as possible, which I'd say had a relatively neutral impact overall; most of us understood that we could seem a little scary lol). But it still particularly hurt when we were, or at least felt, forgotten. In some ways, feeling forgotten is even worse than feeling feared/disliked. Showing up matters. Every single instance of showing up, even in the most seemingly mundane "here's some food" way, matters. If you're able to make a promise, even a small one, and keep it, then you're able to make an impact that lasts longer than a meal does. Any small bit of involvement, when it's sincere and compassionate, is valuable! In essence: Don't worry about scale. Don't underrate what you can do with very little. As my dad poetically puts it, "The difference between zero and one is infinitely greater than that between one and two". Please help support the Delores Project if you can! And ditto Urban Peak, they're an awesome org too.

👩🍳 👨🍳 We need your help in Giving Back to Amazing Chefs! We felt strongly that the best thing we could do with our funding was to give back to the chefs, refugees, and backers in experiences that were meaningful. For this reason, a large percentage of our budget goes right back out the door to create these experiences for chefs and backers. While this is a for profit endeavor, it is not a maximally profitable endeavor. We are raising 30,000 to cover post production and production costs AND give meaningful chef dinners. We have intentionally created more tickets for chef dinners to exceed our funding goal. We did this because we did not want to limit the support for our chefs once we have met our funding goal. If we close the kickstarter campaign once our funding goal is met, we miss out on an opportunity to give more people experiences with our incredible chefs. We hope these experiences will be so meaningful that backers will continue to support this film even once production costs have been met! Additionally, by overfunding the production, we will be able to make a 5th episode and do some extra fun things along the way. Check out our Kickstarter Page: https://lnkd.in/g2qq7Nd8

During this time of giving back, a canned food drive is a simple way to help others that may be struggling. ❤ This endeavor may sound overwhelming, but it is only as big as you make it out to be! Here is a step-by-step guide to organizing a canned food drive: https://buff.ly/49IajRB

Small sacrifice, big impact! Did you know that skipping just ONE cup of coffee a month can help feed a child in need at Winter Jam? By making this tiny tweak to your daily routine, you can make a real difference in the life of a child. So, consider giving up one less coffee a month and join us in supporting this amazing cause! Together, we can make a difference, one cup at a time! #WinterJam #FeedAChild

Hosting a Food Drive is a great way to support #HungerActionMonth! It's easy to get started HERE: https://lnkd.in/gKNJSH8M. Just get a group together, spread the word, and collect food items to feed your community. #FoodDrive #HungerActionMonth

Love the '80s? Looking for unique lessons about leadership, workplace culture, teamwork, communications and just life in general? Check out my Substack - Raised On The '80s. https://lnkd.in/eEsWT66D You’ll get unique, one of a kind content focused on different aspects of our life and work seen through the lens of 80s pop culture and those philosophers of 80s yore such as Jeff Spicoli, Prince Akeem, Clark Griswold, Axel Foley, The Breakfast Club, The Goonies and so many more! And there are already 17 totally awesome articles about the life and work lessons we can learn from '80s pop culture. Oh and each will also contain an audio file so if you don't like to read, you can listen to my not so soothing voice. I should also mention that as most of you know, I am passionate about animal rescue and donate a portion of the proceeds from my book sales, speaking gigs and in the future all Substack subcriptions, to Wonder Paws Rescue in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl which is the rescue that saved my pit mix rescue Bodhi boy. I'm also going to tie in posts to '80s pop culture in current events, remakes and things that the 80s focused on that are now becoming real life! Feel free to subscribe if you so desire. It’s free. Like really free. But it won't be for long! You'll receive roughly three to four newsletters/posts a month to start. Click the link below to begin your "Raised On The '80s" journey and take a unique trip back to the 80s with me! https://lnkd.in/eEsWT66D #substack #keynotespeaker #workplaceculture #lifelessons #80spopculture

How to get a BIG RAISE at work 💰 You can be the hardest and best worker on the team but if you never ask for it… you’ll never get it! Here’s what I recommend to get the raise you deserve 💪

Having a donut today is a must! And whether it's glazed, jelly, cake, frosted with sprinkles, donut holes, or even a cronut, any type will do for celebrating! 🍩 What type of donut is your favorite? Let us know in the comments! 👇 #NationalDonutDay #ExpressPros #BloomingtonIL