Here in Mukilteo, Washington Peter Zieve is something of a local celebrity, a man who grew up here and found great success as CEO of his company Electroimpact. His success is admirable but that is not the reason why news outlets like the Daily Herald in Seattle and across Washington focus on him so much. No, for Peter he has found local fame not through business success, sports or politics but for his philanthropic activities. Here in Mukilteo, in the city of Seattle and across Washington state, Peter has used his power for good and he has helped hundreds in the community through his programs. Peter’s story inspired me to write this blog post about how you too can get involved in the community.
Skills
If you have a particular skill such as a coach or perhaps if you play a musical instrument, you could give up some of your time each week to teach some youngsters in the community. There are many areas, both here in Mukilteo and across the country, where young people simply don’t have anything to stimulate them, many will not have a father figure around and this is what often results in them going to the street and finding role models and things to do there, we all know how that ends up. Use your talent, give the kids a new skill and do something very positive for the community.
Voice
Even if you don’t have the time to give up or the skills with which to teach people, you can use the voice that you have to represent your community. Politicians often make empty promises to people who struggle in communities and you could always campaign for change. This could involve speaking to local businesses to see how they can help or even setting up a community support group. Raise your voice and try to see real change in your community.
One on One
Helping out in the community isn’t just about giving up a set amount of time per week, it is more about changing your attitude and stepping up when someone needs help. If there is an individual in your community who is struggling, try to offer them a helping hand. This could be anything from going to the grocery store for someone who is elderly, looking after the kids of a stressed out single mum or helping a child with their homework. We all have the power to do good, we just need to unlock that and start doing.
Cleaning Up
Helping out your local community doesn’t have to be about helping people directly, it can also be about doing something simple like cleaning up a certain area of the community or maintaining a garden for everyone to enjoy. Much of this work will be thankless but then we don’t do these things for a thank you, we do them to improve our local community, and you can most certainly help out with that.
2018 ·