A Haircut and a Breath of Fresh Air: #RevealStrength
"I usually look A LOT better than this," a neighbor recently declared to one of our REVEAL case managers, Frank Zwirlein. After a month of bureaucratic hoop jumping and seven phone calls, Frank and his client were finally able to get his Direct Express card mailed to the right address, giving him access to his social security benefit.
The neighbor told Frank, “The two things I’m most looking forward to are doing my laundry and getting my haircut.”
These are small dignities most of us take for granted, yet they can be life changing for someone who just needs to feel like themselves again. These compassionate interactions are essential to the work our REVEAL case managers do as they walk alongside our neighbors on their path to healing and opportunity.
“Last year I was bitten by a bat in my apartment,” a different neighbor told Kiera (include picture of Kiera), another of our case managers. “I’m worried about my health. I have breathing issues and my third floor apartment doesn’t have fresh air.” The neighbor found a second floor apartment with a balcony, but she didn’t have the savings to afford first month’s rent and a deposit. When Kiera told her that Reconciliation Services could cover the gap, she was so thankful. “I can breathe easy now.”
When Frank advocates for one of our neighbors and helps him get his social security check, Frank his helping to heal a small part of the system that we’ve all set up to care for and honor elderly Americans.
When Kiera files the paperwork so that RS can cut a small check to our neighbor’s landlord, she is showing us what Jesus meant when he told his followers to "love thy neighbor as thyself."
And when you choose to give selflessly and become a monthly contributor to Reconciliation Services at even $25 a month, you are helping to heal the hearts and lives of our neighbors. When you volunteer at Thelma’s Kitchen, you are making Kansas City a little more like heaven, where all that’s left is goodness.
#DoGood today. Sow blessings and peace for others, and may you reap even more.
>>>>> For just $25 a month, you can help heal Kansas City. Give now.