My experience in “giving back” to my community is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life and has expanded all my horizons.  Early in my career and for many years, I worked to find employment for disabled people.  Since coming to Las Vegas, I have hosted several galas to benefit the Center for Homeless and Neglected Youth.  To me, giving back to the community fills me with joy and has the added benefit of building new relationships.  Doing this has also been a big component of my business success.  This is what networking is about… connecting, interconnecting, being part of a community, sharing our knowledge, skills, hearts and good fortune with others.

Everyone knows someone who is struggling with some issue… health, finances; some loved one, friend or colleague going through a rough patch.  At some time in everyone’s life, compassion, and generosity can make the difference between life and death, being homeless or provide help to find a cure for a disease.  For many professionals, the bulk of their business is from within the community in which they live.  What better way to build a distinctive and respected reputation then to find some way to help the very people from whom you make your livelihood?

There is another aspect of being philanthropic that many people are not aware of… its “transformative” quality.  This “transformation” begins with a vision for change.  Who are more visionary than entrepreneurs?  Whether it’s Sam Walton, Henry Ford or the garage owner who had a vision of fixing peoples’ cars combined with kindness and compassion.  What they have in common is the vision of something different, something better than before. One need only look around to see how much need there is for “change,” if we have the eyes, heart and courage to see it and then the vision to be a Change Agent.  Entrepreneurs are naturally Change Agents… disrupters of the status quo.  Entrepreneurs aren’t normal, every day people.  Even if you work for a company, you are still an entrepreneur because YOU are always your own business.   Entrepreneurs are innovators, “out of the box” thinkers, visionaries and doers.  Extraordinary by every standard. 

Most entrepreneurs have a vision to be and do something unusual.  They are original thinkers who are transformers, creating change every day.  They have passion and intensity that is limitless, are highly motivated opinion makers and leaders.   Entrepreneurs create and live new paradigms, open boundaries and have the potential to alleviate suffering and enhance others’ lives.  Like a stone cast into the water that creates ripples, every act of kindness and compassion reverberates throughout. 

Business and social networking makes people connectors and builds a sense of community.  No business is too small, no contribution too little, no time volunteered too insignificant to make a difference.  The “transformative’ quality of philanthropy is also a two way street. The two-way street is that each act of kindness is a catalyst for internal change and growth in a positive way.  When a person donates to a charity, serves at a food kitchen, hosts a gala, or give a portion of their profits to a cause, they have the potential of finding within themselves a depth of compassion, a spirit of welcome, a heart that unconditionally doesn’t judge someone else’s circumstances.  Philanthropy can be a doorway to self development and builds trust and loyalty in our friends, clients, customers and community. 

When I think about the charity events I host, people know it’s hosted by Diamond Star Events and I’ve built a reputation as someone who donates to charities, but the rewards I experience go far beyond any event I plan.  When I close my eyes at night, I know that someone else might be a little better off because of the work I and others who work with me have done.  We have been a catalyst for change.  Maybe even an inspiration.  I am always inspired by others’ acts of kindness and benevolence.

You need only give one second’s thought to September 11, 2001 to remember how quickly life can change and life can be turned upside down.  The hands that reached DOWN to pull people out of the rubble and the courageous firefighters and police officers who ran UP the stairs of the Towers exemplify the meaning of the word philanthropy… “general love for, or benevolence towards, the whole of human kind.”  Many of them gave their very lives and/or health for others.  While having a charitable gala or making a donation to a worthy cause doesn’t come anywhere near what those brave people did, every act of kindness and compassion has the potential to change the world.  A helping hand is a helping hand.  Ask anyone who has struggled at any time.  Look at your own life and those times you couldn’t have “made it’ without the help of others.   I would never have been able to accomplish what I have, without the help, kindness and philanthropy of others. 

If life and creating a vibrant, growing business, cultivating business and social relationships isn’t also about philanthropy, it is a lost opportunity personally, professionally and a loss to the community.  Be a Change Agent… Stand up and be counted!  Be a Ripple that creates a huge wave of positive, loving, kind energy.  The time is now… the opportunity is ALWAYS…  Contact Sherial at sherial@sherialbratcher.com 702-248-3568