The artful gift of Care | Mercedes Smith | TEDxLincolnUniversity
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlDJyVYHQ1w Video ID: wlDJyVYHQ1w ============================================================ [Applause] my day started like any other I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm clock wash my face brush my teeth and spent over an hour in the shower singing be honest I to be exact I spent about 45 minutes looking for clothes and another 15 minutes picking out shoes I grabbed leftovers from the night before grab my coat and then made my way to the J train heading into Manhattan for work I responded to all the I love you and have a great day text messages for my family put the new Beyonce album back on shuffle and luckily found a seat on a crowded train about 20 minutes into my commute a young man around my age walked onto the train he had uncombed hair dirt stain clothes soles of his shoes falling apart and a suitcase filled with what seemed like all he had left to his name he paced up and down the aisle and to this day I don't know what it was but something told me to lower the volume of my headphones to anticipate what he had to say his pacing finally came to a halt and he said I don't know if anyone hears me heck I don't know if anyone sees me but I just need someone to tell me that it's gonna be okay ain't know what the saddest part about this story is every single person on that crowded train acted as if he was invisible including me see I was so frustrated with myself that day because I realized that I'm not always gonna have a dollar or food to give in those moments but I was haunted by the question if faced with this predicament again what can I do I found myself enjoying read after work and but dozens of hygiene products I mean toothbrushes toothpaste deodorant lotion bars of soap you name it I went home and filled ziplock bags with these items and vowed to always give whether it be a Hello a good warning a god bless you one of these packages I would always give I did this for about two months straight and met so many amazing people in the process I'm at a factory worker that was this place by a fire I meant a couple that both found love on the streets after facing hard times I even met a young 16 year old who was recently released from juvenile detention to learn that he was no longer allowed home but out of all these interactions my connection with one stopped the most here's my friend Abdul at the time we met he was a 22 year old immigrant that decided to live on the streets of Union Square then live under his father's harsh conditions at home we spoke for hours that day we met about his hopes his dreams and how he wished to get out of homelessness he told me that he was applying to become a chef so we went across the street to our department store and I bought him a new pair of pants shoes and a shirt for his upcoming interviews he went to the shelter that night found me on Facebook and we worked on his resume a few weeks later he let me know he got the job see this is just one story that I would constantly tell my family and friends and they would say girl this is powerful you need to do something with this and honestly I just wanted people to care more from there a movement was born I found it care more a nonprofit organization that delivers hope in the form of care packages filled with hygiene products that we tend to take for granted we host packed with love events where our volunteers or as I like to call them care givers gather to assemble packages and write inspirational notes of hope we meet up at Union Square in Times Square in New York Paterson in Newark New Jersey and even Center City in Kensington Philadelphia caregivers are encouraged to stop and talk to the individuals they're helping getting to know who they are as people first not just someone who's homeless while we were delivering packages one day we met a man named James and true care more fashion we start to have a conversation and learn that this was James 58th birthday so we started to gather around him and serenade him with the Happy Birthday song to our surprise he started to cry after he resumed our conversation we learned that this was the first time that anyone had ever sung James happy birthday in over 15 years 15 years something that we take for granted year after year meant the absolute world to him this one-on-one interaction is what care Moore is all about we believe that communication can truly knock down barriers and help get to the root of the homeless epidemic according to the US Department of Housing approximately 550,000 people experience homelessness on a single night 67 percent are alone to face friend for themselves and 33 percent are with family and children how do they get there you might ask unemployment domestic violence mental abuse substance abuse and that list just goes on and on and on but you see the one thing that we all have in common is we're all human we all have names we all have stories we all have hopes for a brighter future we are all human but more importantly we're all in this together see now with all the hope that we impart with care more the humbling reality is that delivering care packages will not put it into homelessness but what it does is bring awareness to this issue and bring like minds together to help put an end to this thing Apple as seen on the verge recently pledged two point five billion dollars to the housing crisis in California as seen on CNN Austin Purina from Birmingham Alabama is a four year old a four-year-olds from Birmingham Alabama that delivers meals to the homeless in his Superman cape and a shirt that says hashtag show love see what I'm saying is it doesn't matter how big or small the effort is it all aids and bringing awareness to the issue and will spark dialogue for change how can you ignite change you might ask you can go to your local town hall meetings and be the voice for the homeless in your community you can volunteer your time at a local soup kitchen and get to know the people you're helping in the process you can even gather your family and friends together to collect warm garments and deliver it to the homeless during the winter small deeds can often go unacknowledged but my hope is to show the world that every ounce of kindness and generosity will spark a positive ripple effect for change and in turn will help make our world a better place so let's hear more thank you [Applause]