For the past eight years, we have closed all of our offices for one fall day, and volunteered in non-profit settings around Greater New Haven. Tomorrow is this year's day, and we will be at Saint Martin de Porres Academy in the Hill section of New Haven. Some of us do hard physical labor, while others do office work. It's great to work as a team across offices, with coworkers that we don't get to see all the time.
Day of Caring was created by United Way after 9/11. I remember the first year, and how good it felt to be doing something positive on such a mournful day. Agents came up to me and commented on their gratitude, to be able to commemorate sorrow and do good at the same time. Over the ensuing years, it became part of the H. Pearce calendar, that demonstrated our values as a company, and gave back to the communities that nourish us.
This year seems a little different. While we still believe in giving back, and we still support United Way, many agents are hurting economically themselves. They may have taken a second job, or given up luxuries (and maybe necessities), as they struggle to cope with a flailing real estate market. We all have uncertainty and worry about the future.
Ironically, this is the time when we should be helping others the most. It's when you reach out to give a boost to someone needier that you feel best about your own life, your own good fortune, and the future of all of us. We all need a helping hand every once in a while, and it's nice to have given one ourselves.
