Team Work Rocks!

Yesterday I had the privilege of overseeing 600 hands literally transform 9 houses in about 2 hours. I’m blessed with many friends and partner organizations that have a heart for seniors and those in tough circumstances. I’ve said this a few times that painting a house isn’t going to change a person’s life but it gives you a sense of hope and a feeling of being loved in many cases by strangers. It took a couple of month’s worth of work on my end to organize the painting blitz. It was a small team of helpers that got up yesterday at 5am to set up the 9 houses so our 300 volunteers could rock the neighborhood that made my day rock!

It is so easy in today’s high tech world to truly believe that one person is capable of doing everything on his or her own without much help from anyone else. I could easily be this type of person. This is a confession on my part that I would rather get something done in a timely fashion the right way then have to go back and fix a mess up by someone that didn’t take pride in what they did. I was humbled by the enthusiasm of the different groups that made up yesterday’s painting blitz. I have so many incredible friends that are able to step up and make something happen!

One of the houses we painted had a jungle in the backyard, literally weeds, bushes and trees that hadn’t been touched in years. It was amazing to see 10 people whacking, chopping and bagging everything. It took over 2 hours to attack the yard but in the end it was totally transformed. Most groups that could have helped might have taken one look at the yard and focused on painting. Yes, we are only supposed to paint not rise to the occasion and use a heart for helping. Yet, my friends from this IT and video company gave their all. It was so evident in the end result. The house looked incredible and the backyard was actually usable!

I admit that it is very difficult for an aging baby boomer type like myself to be good at delegating. It is difficult in life to trust someone else with your work. I do take pride in doing neighborhood work and what the best outcome will be with no exceptions. So when we do a large project like yesterday it is literally impossible to be 9 places at once. So I have to trust my leaders at each project and let a few others learn by jumping into the fray. The result yesterday was that 7 grandmas and 2 grandpas had their lives touched by 600 hands.

The result of teamwork is a huge sense of pride and accomplishment that is contagious. I was humbled to see the look on all of the senior’s faces as we finished and then handed them Bibles that had been signed by all of the volunteers. I end up looking like the neighborhood hero but it really was the 300 friends that made a commitment to get up early on a Saturday and devote themselves to making a difference. All of the groups stepped up and took control of their house and did what needed to be done without anyone pushing them or forcing them.

I know that the 100 plus that were first time volunteers yesterday left with a sense of WOW. Look at what can be accomplished in a couple of hours when everyone pitches in and gives their all. I also know that the impact that these 600 hands made on my grandmas and grandpas is priceless. One of my grandpas had recently lost his wife and was declining over the last 6 months. Sad to say he passed before we painted his house. Yet, his family knows the love and effort that went into transforming their mom and dad’s little house.

My mom would always tell me that 2 pairs of hands are always better than 1 pair and that 3 pairs of hands could do even more. So what’s stopping us from being better at doing a team effort with most things we face in life? I think too often we are in a rush to get done and are afraid to ask for help. Yes, when you open your mouth and ask a friend or neighbor to help they will usually say YES. So what will it be 2 hands by yourself or many hands that can get immensely more done in a fraction of time?