Since day one I’ve strived to be as transparent as possible with Heart Meter. I try not to view this project as mine, but something that belongs to the community. I’m just here to run the day to day. With that said, strap in; this is going to be my most transparent blog post yet.
Year two held some really exciting things for me. With your help we raised $3,753.48. This helped to make possible 13 deliveries across 8 different facilities with a value of over $2,296.37. The remainder went toward fulfilling my Giving Tuesday 2015 goals. Those deliveries are starting this week, so I’m crediting them toward 2016. This is a huge jump compared to the $2,827 donated to 7 facilities last year.
Here is a list of the facilities I’m proud to have supported this year:
In July I diverted from the video game plan a bit. I made a $400 donation toward a fund in memory of Chris West. Many of you may remember, Chris was part of my inspiration for starting Heart Meter. He lost his long fight to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma this year at the age of 16. It meant a lot to me to show his family they have more people behind them than they know. His family has since set up a foundation in his memory to continue the acts of kindness that meant so much to him. You can find out more here, I hope that you’ll support them.
I also came in contact with the Beam family. You all know Braylon Beam and how much of a star he’s become: Coach of my Carolina Panthers, star of the Ellen, and overall dancing machine. I asked his Dad Jesse if there was anything missing from the facilities that Braylon and other kids would like, he recommended Legos. So I included those with a delivery to Hemby as well. They’ve also set up a foundation to continue spreading inspiration where they can. You can support them here.
Heart Meter is not just about dropping off video games, but to get involved as well. I had two really amazing volunteer game days, one with Holy Angels and the other with Alexander Youth Network. I always walk away from these events with a smile and inspired. Look for this to continue in the new year.
Good question. My goal for 2015 was to make a delivery each month and I was able to make 13. Like any organization this has to evolve. I’ll admit I had quite a few instances of burn out this year. I felt like I was doing a ton of work for very little impact. When I started this the games at the facilities were pretty bare. That’s not the case any more. It’s time to aim higher. One way to achieve this is more corporate partnerships. I spoke about this in a recent blog post, and plan to make this a big focus moving forward. Have so ideas on how we can work together? Please reach out.
Also, more volunteer days. I want you all to see the inspirational people, and hear the inspirational stories that I do. I want to get more of you involved. If you’d like to be a part of a future volunteer day, please let me know.
It’s important for me to know that you all are a part of this. This is your thing just as much as it’s mine. I can’t thank everyone for the success this year, but we’re not done yet. Game on.
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