Blog

I went to a nearby 7-11 to purchase scratchers for a friend’s birthday and arrived at the counter to be third in line.  The gentleman in front of me got to the counter and the cashier, who is very familiar with me stopping in, rings him up and gives him his total.   Meanwhile, he’s fumblingRead more

My church has a monthly mission to feed the homeless.  Every 4th Saturday we go to 14th and I Streets NW and feed the homeless a hot meal and provide them with clothes that come to us via donations throughout the year.  Most times, we feed 200+ people.  Every year during the holiday season we put togetherRead more

At ARG, lunch is brought in by our vendors all the time to show their appreciation. It happens so often, that I think we sometimes forget the true meaning behind why they do it. Last Sunday, I picked up donuts for the staff and patients of Birmingham Green’s dementia unit. I go there to visitRead more

Back in August when we had 100+ degree weather and the day of the annual Demolition Derby at the Prince William County Fair, I loaded up my big white cooler with water, Gatorade and ice in the back of my Jeep and met up with the drivers of the derby in the back of theRead more

Back in October, I was in a grocery store buying 2 things with my daughter. The place was absolutely packed. When we were near the registers they opened a new one to accommodate the overflow. I was closest to that line and walked toward that spot. An older woman with a full cart saw myRead more

I live in a three-building complex and while out with the dog at 5 in the morning one of the buildings had a bunch of people coming out – turns out that the fire alarm went off. We have crazy sensitive fire alarms in our buildings so I am actually proud people got out ofRead more

I have led my daughter’s Girl Scout troop since they were in kindergarten, and now they are 6thgraders. They are graduating from elementary school this year and wanted to do something for the school community.  They love to read and know that not everyone can buy books or get to the library.  They thought aRead more

On my way to the Costco in DC, I pass by a VA Referral and Resource Center each week.  This location has an office for their homeless program so it’s not unusual for there to be a person or two out front or nearby.  This weekend I saw something that I hadn’t seen before, aRead more

Nurses are an integral part of running a hospital.  Recently I was talking with a few people about how we would rather see a Nurse Practitioner than a Physician’s Assistant.  There is one group of nurses that stand out more to me than any other.  Nurses that support children with mental health challenges.  Nurses whoRead more

It was more intentional than random, but here goes.  I’ve been in touch with Alternative House since we redid their technology to keep them from missing calls from kids in crisis. I just finished their bill review and thought I’d ask if I could help brighten the holidays for some of the kids they support. Aside fromRead more

Saturday started as a cold day, raining ice, with the sidewalks and roads covered with a sheet of ice:  not exactly a day for anyone to be out in the elements, standing in a long line, waiting their turn to navigate the treacherous, ice-laden ground to place a wreath on a veteran’s grave. Thus myRead more

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My wife and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary.  Our waiter was a nice guy, but did not provide overwhelmingly good service and seemed a little distracted throughout the evening.  When it was time to settle up our bill, the manager came over and said that our waiter had an emergencyRead more

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Donated monies to Community Football Team, Playmakers, raising money for Florida trip. It was personal to me because anything I can do to help kids will always be important and touches my heart. It is the season for football, so timing is great for football fans. And, they are trying to get to Florida, whereRead more

I was lucky enough to be in a position to help a young man yesterday during what was clearly a stressful time for him. I was meeting my wife at a park and ride after work yesterday to connect for our evening plans. I got there earlier than expected and was waiting in my car.Read more

I was walking through Wegmans yesterday morning when I heard a woman ask where something was located because she wanted to ship them to her son who was stationed abroad in the military.  I’d been trying to find a good idea for a RAK and knew that this was a perfect opportunity given my affinityRead more

Tuesday evening when I came home from work I noticed my little neighbor Destiny sitting in the backyard silently weeping. I asked her what was wrong she said she couldn’t say she did not want to upset her mother.  Now keep in mind she is in second grade and is very mature due to family circumstances. Read more

On Saturday I was on my way to Kohls and noticed a family (mother, 2 daughters) walking down (or up!) Van Dorn with no jackets or anything warm on them – Strangely I do everything within a 5 mile radius of my house so this was not the first time I’ve noticed them walking.  ItRead more

A local elementary school, Guilford Elementary, has an annual fall book fair for its students.  82% of Guilford’s students are categorized as economically disadvantaged.  Since getting food on the table is a challenge for many of these families, many students do not have books of their own.  My church is doing a RAK and partneringRead more

Saw a lonely police officer in line for lunch. I was already seated…I hoped up and told the cashier not to charge him or tell him who did this for him and to give me the bill. When it came to his turn to pay the officer, leaned forward, a bit confused and then tookRead more

Saturday, September 17th just happened to be the 7th anniversary of the day that my Son. Kaleb was born an angel. Every year that this date comes around I have thoughts about that tragic time of my life and fill my mind of thoughts of what could have been. Needless to say, it is difficultRead more

My daughter & I went out to breakfast, something we do not do very often.  As we finished our meal, we started chatting with our waitress, ended up talking about teenagers and chores. She was sharing her stories & what works with one of her children does not necessarily work with the others.  Her theoryRead more

Several weeks ago, I was killing time and looking at Facebook. I saw a post that caught me off guard.  It was a high school friend of mine that I had reconnected with via Facebook a year or so ago.  She shared a story about her life, what was going on and ultimately, it wasRead more

Last week I, unfortunately, had to take my friend to the local hospital because he fell and broke his leg and had some X-rays. While there, I met a 25-year-old guy sitting with his father who also broke his leg. They don’t have money like a lot of people here and we’re using the free hospitalRead more

Stopped at the Walmart in Gainesville the other day to pick up a few things on the way home and an opportunity presented itself. We noticed the man in front of us grimacing as each item made it across the scanner. I couldn’t hear the conversation well with the cashier but recognized that things thatRead more

As a child, some of my favorite memories were from different camps and summer activities we were fortunate enough to experience. Obviously, when a child or family is homeless, they are forced to focus on different priorities. St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore set up a camp for homeless and underprivileged children in Baltimore. My wifeRead more

My family lost our oldest dog back in May to cancer. We had Duncan since he was about 2 years old. We rescued him from the Frederick Animal Shelter, he was the best dog and was great with my kids as they grew up. My youngest daughter, who is now 16, was 2 years oldRead more

5:30 Sunday morning I was at a gas station filling up and getting ice for a cooler, preparing for a day with family and friends on the river. After I pumped gas I went up to the convenience store to buy the ice. There was a small elderly guy inside making coffee, he looked inRead more

Last Saturday I was walking the dogs when I walked past the loading dock – there was a small U-Haul with a little girl sitting in it and her mom on the phone outside having what was obviously not a pleasant call. When I came back around the conversation was a louder and I couldn’tRead more