HOW TO BE A SERVANT LEADER IN YOUR COMMUNITY

 HOW TO BE A SERVANT LEADER
IN YOUR COMMUNITY
 Written by,  Jessica Williams
   My name is Jessica Williams, I am 26 years old, born and raised in Pickering , Ontario.   I am a philanthropist, behaviour specialist, business owner, and coach. Today I want  to share some of  my story with you. Ever since I can remember, giving back and volunteering has been instilled in my blood. I'm not sure how young I was when it began, but one specific memory I can pin-point is when I was in grade 8 when my class was required to have a certain amount of hours done in the community in order to graduate.  
     It was from there that I found a passion in giving back and being a good influence, and servant leader in the community. It started with a snack bar once in a while, then volunteering for a special needs soccer team weekly, raising money for walk-a-thons, to feeding the homeless with my church group . This was all throughout highschool, where of course, everyone was required to have their 40 hours of community service work. In those years I documented more than 100 hours of community service. Upon graduating, community service was no longer a requirement for anything. However, the passion for giving back still burned bright in my soul.
    Over the past 5 years I have been involved in many community events. My friends and I got extremely passionate about helping Toronto's homeless, and low income population. Over the past 5 years we have collectively raised over $60,000 to help this community, and have also executed 6 different events to give back over this time span as well. We have blossomed so much that we have applied to become a registered charity and will be diving into as many fundraising events possible when the time comes.
    Although, lately I have found that my passion for giving back goes beyond just our Canadian borders. My heart has recently been called to help out a nonprofit orphanage in Jinja, Uganda by the name of Mercy Orphanage Care. I was called to this cause by one of my independent contractors whilst carrying out a promotions and marketing event. She shared with me the dire needs of this orphanage.  
    The orphanage was founded and is funded by a young man named Derrickson Mercy and his aunt. They funded the orphanage out of pocket prior to COVID-19, not requesting help from anyone. Merely through hard work and dedication, Derrickson had been working two jobs at local gyms, and dancing in the streets to raise money. Due to the lockdowns and restrictions Derrickson is unable to receive those streams of income right now. These lockdowns have placed this orphanage in a position of intense need. Both Derrickson and his aunt have been forced to spend their savings on bulk food and mosquito nets. Due to the lack of work available, they have been left without the resources to provide for these children. Sometimes causing them to go days without food. Due to a shortage of funds they are also unable to provide mosquito nets for the children, resulting in many of them catching Malaria. Which then means that they need medical attention, which is another cost they have to endure. These things alone are causing a huge impact in their ability to properly run the orphanage. Along with many other things like a need for a water filter, in order to filter the water from harmful contaminants. A need for materials to fix the toilet hut that is currently falling apart which acts as a huge hazard to the children using it.  This need screamed to me , being as privileged as I am to live here in Canada and have been given the opportunities I have worked so hard for along the way, I knew I had to do something. So, I did what I knew how to do best, I reached out to my closest fundraising friend and asked her what I should do. She jumped right on board with me and told me to do it, about a week later the fundraiser "MIRACLES FOR MERCY"  was born. We have set out a goal to raise enough money to provide Mercy Orphanage Care with 40 mosquito nets, a water filter, materials to fix the toilet shelter, and enough to supply them with bulk food for a few months.
The needs of these children are greater than many of us would endure here in Canada. From my experience, a little bit goes a very long way when people come together. Can you imagine if just 200 of us came together and donated $10 to a cause we are passionate about, that is $2000 right there ! In this case, that reaches our goal and changes the lives of so many young souls. These children are able to live on so little, it humbles you to reflect on the abundance we have available to us on a daily basis here in Canada. I have seen these children happy with just a lollipop, it is something that has humbled my soul to a different degree.
In addition to the fundraiser, we have also set up a clothing/toy drive to collect childrens clothes of all sizes for these children. As well as any gently used or new toys that you may have laying around would be greatly appreciated.
I encourage anyone looking to give back or start something to tap into your inner leader. Start today, right now, with baby steps you can accomplish anything. I am just a young woman who had an idea, with passion behind it. I took action, and took the baby steps required to do it. Now I am here to tell you that you can do it too, just take your first leap of faith.  
If you are interested in donating to the fundraiser you can check out our link on facebook : https://www.facebook.com/donate/190257249594942/?fundraiser_source=external_url
Or you can contact me at jessicanicolewilliams@outlook.com to learn how to get involved or donate toys or clothing.
EDITORS DISCLOSURE:  The Oshawa Central Newspaper cannot verify the validity of the above organization/group.  The opinions are that of the author registered above.