Mob ‘Em With Hope

You never know when life is going to change — or end.

Crisis is just that way, isn’t it?

It’s not much for giving notice.

But, for some, it seems that life never really starts.

You know the people I mean. They trudge along, wishing they could figure out why they’re here, lost in the stupefying sameness of routine.

Something just doesn’t feel complete to them.

Some ache. Others wallow. Some merely fail to thrive.

But all wish they could know they matter.

A few years ago, I was one of them.

And then, from nowhere, someone stepped forward and nudged me toward meaning.

It was subtle, really.

There had been an earthquake in Haiti and I wanted to help.

No, that didn’t make sense. I was a suburban housewife and mom in a nice neighborhood in a big city in what has long been arguably the world’s most awesome nation.

Nonetheless, I felt hungry to know more and so I latched onto Twitter.

That’s where I met someone who steered me toward other people to follow who would change my future.

That’s a story for another day and one you’ve likely heard me tell before.

Today, I want to shine the light on that guy who is so very good at making connections happen — and mattering:

Say hello to Shaun King.

He’s not someone you would notice on the train, necessarily. He’s just a guy. But, if you spend 30 minutes with him, it may take that many years to forget.

He is all about vision and loves to share his:

Shaun wants the world to have hope.

It’s broken, by the way, this world of ours. Think Murphy’s Law — if something can go wrong, it will.

Cancer happens. And earthquakes. And job loss. Tsunamis. Tornados. Debt.

Despair.

There’s no one who can handle life’s worst alone.

Shaun agrees.

I mean, deep within his soul, he feels the world’s pain and wants to ease it in the only way he knows how — by creating connection.

Tomorrow — in just a few hours, actually — he and a community of other passionate and compassionate people and organizations are launching his brainchild:

HopeMob.

He knows he can’t do it alone, any more than the world can, and so he has done what he does best: rallied hundreds of thousands to step up to share stories of need and seek solutions.

That’s right — HopeMob has invited anyone and everyone to tell about that friend next door — or across the world — who needs help.

Tomorrow, you will see the first need that HopeMob will promote.

And promote. And promote.

Until each need is met, the next won’t take center stage.

I’m more than a little excited.

That’s because I’ve seen what happens when people care.

I know what it’s like to discover a need and then see a community meet it. I know, too, how helping changes you.

This week, I launched into an adventure of my own when I joined the staff of All Hands Volunteers. Now, when there is a disaster in our backyard or across the globe, I’ll travel there with a team that rallies volunteers and funds to help.

It’s a mission I feel soulfully.

Sometimes, change is only the beginning.