The Passion for Giving Back Within Our Community

Finding your passion.  It is something we talked about all the time when I was growing up.  Find your passion, what you love to do.  Then make it your life’s work.  “If you do, you’ll never work a day in your live”, the saying goes.  You’ll work that much harder at it and be that much better at it.   

Listening to people talk about their “passion” is a joy for me.   Their eyes light up, their voice builds, they talk more with their hands.  You can FEEL how important it is to them just by their actions.  You may not agree entirely with their views, but their excitement cannot be ignored.     

People may have a passion for chess or a political cause or music or biology or baseball.  Depending on how pronounced their passion is, they can make you believe that they can force and/or will change.  But whatever their passion, it should never be written off as small or insignificant.   

For me, I was lucky enough to find my passion for teaching and coaching before I even reached high school.  I just knew it was what I wanted to do and the natural high I experienced from it was enormous.   This may be the reason why I have so much admiration for those who have found their passion and follow it as well.   

Here in Middletown it is remarkable how many people you come across that have not only found their passion but found their passion in giving back.   From our social workers to our teachers to our city officials to our business owners to those in our local non-profits, the list goes on and on and on.  

This Saturday is a great opportunity to join and meet many of these passionate people in this community while giving back.     

During the morning the North End Action Team (NEAT) will have their Pride Day.  The day is all about beautifying the North End of Middletown.  Working on the gardens, cleaning the parks and building a “Born Learning Trail” at the Macdonough School.  Izzi Greenberg and Bobbye Knoll from NEAT are two of the most passionate people in this town.   Passionate about improving the north end of Middletown, getting neighbors helping neighbors, friends helping friends, and a community working together to improve itself.  

Then Saturday evening MARC, a non-profit empowering those with disabilities to realize their dreams, will be having their 2nd Annual Wine Tasting at Wesleyan University in Beckham Hall.  This is another wonderful and dedicated organization with people who have found their passion in helping those with disabilities.    

Some believe that your passion finds you and in recent years, the passion for giving back has definitely found me.  Finding this passion has not only allowed me to give back but it has also provided me the opportunity to meet so many passionate, impressive people here in Middletown.   

Take some time on Saturday to help out with the North End Action Team’s Pride Day or attend the MARC Wine Tasting at Beckham Hall.  If you do, I promise you’ll see exactly what I mean when I talk about the passionate and astonishing people that make up our community.