“No problem. I can do that. “
How many unrealistic projects have you responded to in that way? Sure, I can organize my office to design a robot that will walk in the parade. Okay, most ventures are not on that scale, but you see what I mean. The casual “yes” sometimes becomes the impossible “no way. “
In January 2009, I typed, if not spoke, that spontaneous phrase, “no problem.” My response was to then President-Elect Obama and his call to a day of service on January 18, MLK Day. I’ve been doing service projects through Girls Scouts, our church, school and other organizations for many years. One uncomplicated project on one day in January would be effortless.
With a week’s notice, I registered on the website Obama’s group set up, I e-mailed 50-60 people and started verbally spreading the word. Spirits were high in my community of friends, with a new presidency about to begin. Absolutely anything was possible in the “Yes, We Can!” mode of thinking and dreaming.
Maybe I spend too much time reading e-mail and clicking on the links in all the non-profit requests, but along came a challenge from the Case Foundation. What was I going to do in 2009 that might change the world? Oh right, it didn’t quite state the challenge in that way, but wanting to change the world for the better, I read it that way.
Well, if I could plan one successful community project for a local organization, why couldn’t I plan one each month? Right. So, I signed onto that website and said, “No problem.”
Then I needed to tell my unsuspecting team, Dan and Hannah, respectively, my husband and 15 year old daughter. Dan’s work in non-profits and Hannah’s Girl Scout backgrounds made them a push over! The Jerde/Berg Monthly Service Project began.
As part of the pledge, I said I’d communicate with at least 100 people each month. Back to the e-mail I spend my days on. I sent out a note to about 60 individuals/families (did those families count as 1 or could I count each family member to get to the 100?). Friends, community volunteers and family comprised the list. Knowing some friends were going through tough times either personally or with family members, I let some folks off the list and off the hook for the year. That left me shy of my commitment on numbers. The answer became obvious: our church CyberCoffeeHour e-mail list. I have no idea how many people read the postings, but it was definitely more than 40, so communicating with fellow church members, I would be fulfilling the agreement.
Back on the official Day of Service, the media were covering all types of service projects. A local TV station interviewed us on the eve of the initial project and our neighborhood paper, the Southwest Journal, did a follow up after it was completed.
We had begun.
