February 26, 2022, Oak Grove Estates, Kerrville, TX
Imagine with me for just a moment. Imagine you found a community where you knew the people were great, the community had recently been impacted by a great organization, and then you took a peak at what Impact Cares is all about on their website and you thought, ‘you know, I could live in a community like that,’ so that is what you did, you moved in!’ That is a testimony to the ‘impact’ that Impact Cares is having on the communities they visit.
Now imagine a cold, wet, blustery day in Texas. I’m not from Texas and I don’t like the cold but one would think down in Texas, they really wouldn’t deal with the cold! O how wrong one can be! We ended up with 73 volunteers, many from a local Alpha Omega chapter and they were great. They worked hard in spite of the weather and always have a great attitude as they dive in and do whatever needs doin’ to get the job done. These are an amazing group of young Christian people who put their faith on display by being servant-hearted leaders.
Now, if you can believe this, once again we had some great staff people from Impact Communities, including managers, maintenance people and their families. Many of these have come from long distances, to many projects to help because they know and see the impact and change Impact Cares brings to a community. They also know that what is good for one community benefits all Impact communities. Thanks again to all the staff who give of their time and effort to come and join in!
Now try this one for a second. The local gas company repairman comes out due to a gas leak. In conversation with him, he noted how he had seen the Impact Cares signs around the community for a few weeks. Watching to see what we were doing and ‘googling’ us and checking out our website, he wanted to be a part of our project day and be a part of what we were doing! That brings back an old proverb of my Grandmother who often said, “Your talk talks and your walks talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.” Impact Cares, Impact staff and even the local repairman are seeing the truth of that little proverb as they witness communities being changed one yard, one home, one family, one person at a time.
After arriving onsite, very quickly we saw the community itself spring into action. Folks were out cleaning their own homes and yards and sprucing things up. It’s amazing how an entire community can be influenced and encouraged to take a measure of pride in their homes and communities as a result of a few folks coming in with volunteers and pouring into that community. This obviously has a ‘ripple’ effect not only on a particular community but also extends to the greater local community and even nationally to the company itself.
Imagine with me for a moment. Imagine filling dumpsters with trash, doing small ‘make-overs’ here and there. Imagine meeting folks who are truck drivers to Korean war vets, to Mexican chefs to an Eskimo, from school bus drivers to amazing college volunteers, and it all adds up to the fact that Oak Grove Estates in Kerrville is no ordinary place, it is a very special place to live!
Go, Oak Grove Estates! Go, Impact Cares!