Good Deed #36: Jobs Paid Forward

During the height of this past Presidential election season, political parties on both sides of the aisles talked about jobs. They spoke about them in such abstract and mythical terms as if they alone held the key to unlock the floodgates to more of them. After following both campaigns very closely, I decided that the time to stop talking about them and actually doing something was now. I went on a search with my friend to find ordinary people who wanted to work and through a little bit of encouragement and assistance along the way, could one day, proudly call themselves employed. The name of our project is Jobs Paid forward.

Our intent is to assist in the job hunting process. Once an individual finds a job, it is up to them to in turn "pay it forward" but providing an additional ladder of opportunity for someone else. Our hope is that this creates a ripple effect in the way in which we treat and serve each other in our communities. It is a simple approach to a real problem.

It's almost ironic that I started this project while I myself am unemployed. It has been such a blessing in that I can truly relate to these people we are trying to help. If anything it has taught me humility and the reinforced my unwavering belief that we are one another's keeper. In this picture is my dear friend Ira. Through our help, he was given a proper eye exam and got glasses. We hope this is but a hurdle that he has jumped so that he may reach his fullest potential. It is not a guarantee of a job, but it surely is a step in the right direction. It is through small acts like this that we hope to prove naysayers wrong and bring about real change in our community here in Raleigh.

Good Deed #35: Flying Scarfs

During my last six months here in Afghanistan I have contemplated the amount of "good" we have done here throughout our military mission. As pessimistic as I am about our efforts, I am hopeful that there are other means of providing security in this country beyond a military presence. From the beginning of my deployment my focus was on thinking about the latter and trying to figure out a way to help the people of this country beyond bombs and bullets.

One of my most proudest achievements to date, is the non-profit organization that I started with seven of my closest friends. The idea for this business is modeled after Muhhamad Yunus and his "Social Business," concept. The purpose of our business is to provide long lasting, sustainable economic development to various villages in Afghanistan by selling handmade artisan scarfs made by the women of Afghanistan on a global market. For all of the things that have gone wrong in this country, I can emphatically point to this project and say that here "we got it right."

If you'd like to learn more please visit FLYING SCARFS.COM

Good Deed #34: Defending Freedom

I don't pretend to act like some war hero. Throughout my time in the military I have done much less than the much braver men and women who wear the uniform. What I do stand for is the cause. I fully understand what it is that we're doing. Tomorrow I will leave for a deployment to Afghanistan. Regardless of your political party preference, you should know that our mission over there is to defend freedom. There are few more worthy causes.

Good Deed #33: Hurricane Irene Relief

Today I assisted the Red Cross in going around and assessing damage in a neighboring county in North Carolina. The director gave us a map, some water, a handshake and parting gesture before sending us off. The post-hurricane Irene assessment that we did will eventually lead to more assistance from FEMA. Before they will come out though, they need to have accurate and reliable data that will trigger their response. As we drove around looking at all of the damaged homes, I thought back to Katrina and the devastation that I remembered when I went to volunteer back in 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Another storm, more destruction. Help if you can!

Good Deed #32: Friendship

The last post I made on here was dedicated to the mentorship that I gave to my former littler brother Noah. A week ago when I was home visiting family, I took the time to spend part of the day with him and catch up. Surprisingly, he now lives in my hometown of Laconia. I was amazed at how grown up he has become. Indeed, he has had to grow up a lot faster than most boys his age. When I saw him this last time though, I didn't just see him as my "little," I looked at a person who was not quite my peer but most certainly my friend. As we transition into this new stage of our relationship, I know that he'll probably always look up to me just as I'll always be proud of him. But there is a deeper connection there and it entails a mutual respect for each other. Like brothers and friends.

Good Deed #31: Mentor

We can't always choose our mentors. Sometimes I find that the best ones are those who don't necessarily identify themselves but come into your life in such a manner that you learn years later their true impact. Four years ago I chose to become a mentor, not because I thought I would be good at it, but because I knew that I owed it to my previous mentors to pass along the knowledge that they had given me. Mentorship is an underrated asset that few get the true benefit from. The two years that I was with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, were arguably my best growth years in that I learned a lot about myself and those around me. When my friend Jill (and mentor in her own right) asked me to donate to her annual fundraiser this year, I couldn't resist. There are many times when I am asked to give money to certain charities. I especially enjoy giving to organizations that I know first hand have great impacts on the lives of others. Big Brothers and Big Sisters is one of those organizations. If you ever get a chance to become a Big...do it! It'll change your life.

Good Deed #30: Helping Friends

I don't claim to know a lot about MS. Prior to my friend Jarrod asking me to donate towards his walk to help find a cure for MS, I never really thought twice about others not being able to walk. After a great bike and workout today at the gym and then coming home to walk my dog, I realized that I am so fortunate to be able to do the things I want and not be restricted. I've been able to make a lot of money and what good does it do by sitting in my bank account? What good is money when you can't use it to help others? Maybe you will help join the fight too. Cure MS!

Good Deed #29: Helping the Real Heroes

Yesterday I came home after a long day of work and couldn't believe how many chores I had to do around the house. For one of the first times it gave me a real appreciation for the homemakers of the world who take care of the household while their loved ones are away. I've been in the AF long enough to know that the people who do the real work are those behind the scenes. Today I donated money to the Air Force Assistance Fund and specifically the Air Force Village Foundation which helps takes care of retired officers' widows. After years of supporting their spouse so that they may help defend this country, it's only right that we take care of them back.

Good Deed #28: Whatever It Takes

This basketball season I probably could have counted a lot of events as "good deeds," in my personal tracker. But to me, coaching brings me back to why I set out on this endeavor to begin with. Sure I would have liked to have completed all of these deeds in one year, but sometimes things don't always go our way. Take my season for instance, my players did everything that was asked for them and in the end we had a blast despite losing in the championship game to a team whose coach did not play by the rules. The league rules state that everyone must play a minimum of 5 minutes per game. In the championship game he had three players who played 2:05. Instead of complaining, I went with it and realized that not all adults think that the rules apply to them, nor do they have the same level of integrity. To my own personal satisfaction I felt good about how I approached that game knowing that the opposing coach was going to cheat by playing his starting five for the entire game. I knew I could sleep well at night because I did right by my team. They had gone to all of the practices all season long and deserved to play. I also knew that despite his best efforts, I without a doubt "out-coached him" anyways...yup that felt good.

After the game was over I expected that our team would have received a runner-up trophy for having come in 2nd place during the playoffs. I was wrong. Instead, the league director handed out a regular season 1st place trophy to the same team who won the championship. That's right, two trophies were awarded to the winning team that day while my players walked off the court with a handshake. Awards mean nothing to me but I know they mean something to young men. What does matter to me is recognition, not in a celebratory way but just as a way of saying "thanks." At the end of my season I had several players come up to me to say that very thing "thanks." To me, it meant more than any trophy that I could hold or any award that could have been given to me.

Youth basketball coaches often do a lot more than what parents may see during the hour long games on friday night or saturday morning. We make phone calls to remind players of practices and rescheduled games, we wait at the end of our practices for our players parents to arrive and pick them up. We even show up early so that there is a chaperone in the gym for those who arrive early. Often we even go beyond that. This year I had to pick up one of my players for every Tuesday practice (we practiced twice a week, games twice a week) I would have to get out of work early, drive 30 minutes out of my way, only to rush to the gym so that we could make practice. In addition, I routinely drove two other players after practices so that they could catch the tail end of their siblings basketball games. This year I also held a pizza party at Chuck-E-Cheese for the players and families with tokens for games included, none of this was required by the league.

Per the usual, I spent hours drafting playbooks of the ever-changing (never perfect) offensive and defensive schemes and printed them off to hand out with each revision. I made a game plan for every practice the night prior and took pride in being the most organized and best coached team in the league. I suppose I have my High School basketball Coach to thank for that. Like the previous year, I also sent the players a personal note and thanked them for the season as well as an 8x10 photo which I had printed up since the team photographs that the private company they use are usually too expensive for most families.

At the end of the year the league had an all-star game and BBQ. I agreed to volunteer to set up and upon arriving I noticed that there wasn't enough soft drinks to support all of the people. I quickly made a run to the store to purchase more soda with my own money. To me it didn't matter that I had to pay for it, all I cared about was that people could enjoy themselves. In circumstances like that, however small and insignificant as it may have seemed, I was willing to do what it took to get the job done right.

Coaching youth basketball (when done right) is hard work. I may even argue that it's tougher then what some of these paid coaches on TV have to deal with. Even so, I enjoyed every minute of it. It's too bad that I will be in Afghanistan next year and will not have the opportunity to coach again. With all that society has said about our younger generations and how ill-equipped they are to handle the "real world" with their lack of skills, I for one can point to 11 youth basketball players and know that in them, I tried to make a difference. Like the old adage, "It's incredible how much good can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit." For me, all of the credit goes to them. I'm just sure glad I was a part of it.

Good Deed #27: Home Base

I try to never miss an opportunity to honor our country and those who have fought to defend it. Call me old school, but there are just certain things that I do not compromise over. Tonight I read a post about some servicemembers that were on base to watch the Super Bowl and did not stand during the playing of the National Anthem. While they have served their country, they have also neglected to adhere to a very proud tradition. Just as I read this post, a few minutes later I got an email to donate money towards servicemembers who have suffered from traumatic brain injuries. I couldn't pass it up. This is an injury that is often overlooked, I'm glad Fenway has decided to team up with New Balance to bring awareness and raise money for these brave Patriots. If you'd like to donate please visit Run to Home Base.

Good Deed #26: Teaching

This year I am coaching youth basketball again. Like 99% of coaches around the world I don't do it for the money, the publicity or in most instances, the "love of the game." Rather, I coach because I know in a small way I am able to have a big impact and make a difference. Whether it is on the basketball court, baseball diamond or football field, millions of youths are out there giving an effort to become not just better athletes but better citizens. Cooperation and teamwork, hardwork and dediction, integrity and character, honor and pride are a few of the attributes that are bestowed on athletes when they learn that these "finer points" of the game have very little to do with dribbling a basketball or making a jump shot. It's amazing how I can look back at my childhood and remember almost every coach I ever had and even the lessons that they taught me, which I learned and applied later in life.

Coach Levesque (HS Basketball) "It's not the will to win, it's the will to prepare to win."

Coach Fitzgerald (HS Football) "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

Coach Sullivan (College football) "Do you believe?"

Coach Murphy (College football) "Why not us?"

Coach Carroll (My Dad) "It's a game of passing"


Since joining the military I have been thanked countless times by friends and strangers for my service. And while I appreciate the recognition, I can honestly say that I believe I have a greater degree of impact on my 4th graders than I do on my Nation at large. I encourage others to take time out of their day and find a way to impact their local communities. I challenge those who have followed my "deeds" thus far to use their own talents, perhaps resources and do something good for a stranger. I can guarantee that you will walk away satisfied knowing that you are contributing to the success of our world's future.

Good Deed #25: Going the Distance

The theme of a lot of my good deeds throughout this experiment have involved a combination of fundraising and running. This one is no exception. As I donated to my former basketball coach, mentor and friend's campaign to raise money for his 1/2 marathon endeavor, I began to think about the cause that he was running for. See, for each runner there is often a higher purpose than just the activity and pushing the physical boundaries. Often, it is about a higher purpose, whether that is setting a goal for oneself, becoming a better athlete, the drive of competition or giving to a charity. Philanthropy in endurance athletes often go hand in hand. Rarely do I do an event that doesn't contribute to some higher mission somehow. There is just something so pure and so inspiring in athletes who prepare and put themselves through agony (or what Coach considers "suffering") for someone else's cause. That's real sacrifice in action.

This race in particular is going towards Child and Family Services. The aim of this organization is to provide social services in order to strengthen families. It's a tremendous organization and one I hope you would consider donating too as well. You can donate to: http://www.active.com/donate/CFS2010/gstriclub

Good Deed #24: Voting

Recently I've been procrastinating. Let's face it, this blog is a great example. And while I'm trying to play catch up, I've allowed my procrastination to spill into other areas of my life. Next Tuesday is the general elections, 6 emails, 3 fax machine attempts and $18 later, I have cast my absentee ballot. I don't know if my vote is worth $18 but I know my freedom to vote is priceless. It was surprising to walk around work today asking my colleagues if they had voted and to receive negative responses. It is because voting (especially in mid-term elections) is so rare that I consider it not only a good deed but my patriotic duty. Apathy has taken hold in our country. We are becoming more reliant on others to do things for us. We feel that we have less influence and control over our own destinies. We are fast moving towards a country of whiners and complainers instead of a Nation of problem solvers, doers and believers. Hope may have died on that historic day two years ago when we saw our President elected. In return, we've been cursed by a disease of resentment, finger pointing and pessimism. Those same people who see the country's glass as being half empty, I'm willing to bet are the same ones who wouldn't bother trying to vote.

Absentee voting in the military is not too difficult. I've been doing it for years. But when the clerk at the post office tells you that in order to guarantee delivery for Monday morning the cost will be $18...well then you start to get a "values" gut check at the door. I can't put a price on what that ballot means for me. Go ahead and ask Afghanis who risk being shot or blown up on their way to the polling station what the "freedom to vote means." It's your civil right to vote. And if you're worried about the future of the country and want to effect change, it's your obligation!

Good Deed #23: Combined Federal Campaign

Each year government employees have the opportunity to donate to thousands of charities via the "Combined Federal Campaign" fund. Since non-profit organizations are not allowed to solicit from government employees throughout the year, annually they are given the opportunity to donate to a charity of their choosing. This year I decided to give a portion of my salary each month to the Wounded Warriors Fund and two charities that fight hunger. I am so thankful for those warriors who have put themselves in harms way so that I can maintain my way of life. I am also appalled that with all that we have as Americans that we can still allow people to go hungry each day. It doesn't add up and it doesn't make sense. I wish I could do more and I know that I'll have to start donating my time at a soup kitchen eventually. But for now, I hope I have reached some of you and perhaps even compelled a few of you to think about what you ate for dinner (or what you didn't eat) and ask yourself if people in this country should go to bed hungry?

Good Deed #22: Talking to Students

When I was a teenager I always wished I had the opportunity to talk to somone about life after high school. While I knew college was in my future, it was that question of "what am I going to do after I graduate?" that always haunted me. So last month during my leave, I took it upon myself to visit with my alma mater and speak to students about my "AF" story. I didn't go as a recruiter who told them to "drink the kool-aid." Nor did I walk the party line and give them the usual propaganda that most high school students have become accustomed to. Instead, I provided them w/ useful information on my journey with an unbiased, agenda free motive. I'm not sure if I reached anyone or if I sparked interest in the next generation of leaders, but I know that the students I talked to were more educated about the military then they were before I walked in the door. I spoke to them because I felt an obligation to pass on what I have learned, for my experiences serve no purpose staying in my memory. I do what I do not because I get to travel or because of the money or promotions. I serve because I love my country and I am willing to defend it. I believe in the cause of freedom and I know that it's worth the fight.

Good Deed #21: Promises Kept

241 days ago I pledged to run a marathon in honor of my friend Roslyn Schulte. On September 18th, I made that goal a reality. Promises kept. Not only did I finish the race, but I also did so within my goal of 3:30 minutes and rasied $1,000 towards her Memorial fund as well.

After training for 18 weeks, the marathon was a culmination of over 350 miles on my feet. I endured blisters, back/knee/hip pain and a fear that I may not meet my goal. No matter where I was in my training though, I never once forgot why or who I was running for. Marathon weekend consisted of great memories for me. I sent the medal that I was given for completing the marathon to Bob and Susie Schulte. I felt like it belonged to them, not me.

Good Deed #20: Good Will

I was recently informed that I have a lot of catching up to do with this blog. I suppose I have been so busy with my day to day life that I've stopped looking for ways to make a difference in someone else's life. It's safe to say that I've been selfish, a feeling that I get each time I do things for myself. That feeling is only magnified when I buy things like clothes.

As I cleaned out my closet this past weekend I began to wonder how many clothes could one person have? Over the years my closet has served as a storage unit for my pack rat-like tendancies. It has become a museum for all of my t-shirts that I have acquired over the years that now pass as "vintage." While each shirt serves its purpose as a reminder of memory lane, what function does it serve today? What good do dozens of shirts that I will never wear have? This question led me to my latest deed and that was to take my clothes to the thrift shop on base known to most as the "Airman's attic." It is here that I hope my former clothes find a re-birth on someone else. As I clean out my closet, maybe someone else may be filling theirs.

Good Deed #19: Sachem Pride

It's almost been a decade since my last home football game as a Sachem. I remember vividly those last moments as well as many of the events that day. These memories of mine will forever share a special place heart. It's been quite sometime since I've seen a game from the bleachers. But like being on the field, I remember how much joy the "Friday Night Lights" atmosphere brought to me. More importantly though over the years it has brought a small NH town together. And while I probably overestimated the support we had back in my playing days, I know that there has always been a real sense of community that has come to support the Sachems year after year. There is something magical in those lights. The band, the cheerleaders, the smell of popcorn, the sound of cleats as they march up the concrete from the locker room through the back gate.

I shared some of my favorite high school memories with the guys I played football with. It was amazing to look around the huddle and see the faces of people you grew up with. There was such a sense of security and comfort knowing that no matter what, those guys had your back. What a great feeling!

What I always thought was most important though was the fact that no matter what one's social status or income, we all came together both on and off the field. Football is certainly an equalizer. On the field there is little room to fake performance. You can either hit or get hit, catch the ball or drop it, run fast or get caught. From a fan perspective there were few disigenuous spectators. I'd challenge an alumnus who didn't know the school song that was played after each touchdown, "Rah, Rah for Ole' Laconia!"

There is something very near and dear to my heart in the backyard of 345 Union Ave. One day I look forward to going back and watching the next generation of Sachems take the field. I hope when they grow up they will have as fond of memories as I and other former Sachem alumns have today.

Good Deed #18: Sending a Care Package

In the past five years I have seen many of my closest friends head off to what we in the military affectionately call the "sand box." It has become so commonplace to see my friends go off on their 2nd, 3rd and 4th tours that I forget the significance of their sacrifice. Yesterday I decided to get out of the routine of just accepting deployments as a fact of life. For the first time I sent out a care package (sad huh?) It was long over due. This care package represented all of the boxes that should have been sent out but never were. It was a reminder to myself of how precious life is and how thankful I am for those who are keeping mine just as I like it. The contents in the box aren't too significant but the meaning behind it is. I know that in a year when my name gets called for a deployment I will welcome care packages not because of what's inside but because who it came from.

For those of you who follow my blog and don't know where to send care packages to I have plenty of friends and contacts who would be more than happy to receive a box filled with goodies! Feel free to contact me and I'll get you in touch with them.

Good Deed #17: Racing for Reasons

There's an old addage that you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. If that's the case, then it's safe to say that I'm walking down the right paths in my life. Like myself, many of my friends have chosen race for some type of cause. Perhaps it is because I am enduring my own marathon training (i.e. the time committment, the sore limbs and exhaustion) that I relate to them more so then if I were just an average spectator. As I support them 100%, I realize that they are my friends because of their hearts and what they stand for. When my friend Steve told me that he was partnering with Team in Training for the Luekemia & Lymphoma Society I eagerly awaited for his letter to come in the mail so that I could contribute to his cause. His letter was remarkably well written and one that deserves the attention of this blog. His goal is to complete an Olympic distance triathlon (1 mi open water swim, 25 mi bike and a 6 mi run). His goal is to raise $2900 and knowing the person he is I have no doubt that he will make that goal a reality. On September 12 I will once again eagerly await to hear from Steve and get the results.

If you would like to donate to Steve's goal please visit his Team In Training page!