I hate asking for help. I hate asking for money even more. It makes me uncomfortable. “I can do it myself” has been my mantra for a long time. Yet those feelings and attitude have changed.
Starting a nonprofit last year was tougher than I thought. Filling out paperwork and filing documents with the IRS was time consuming. Driving around the suburbs, picking up boxes of books from schools was labor intensive. Sorting all of the donated books required more thought and more time than I could have ever imagined. At times, I was uncomfortable.
Being uncomfortable with a new path in life is living outside of my comfort zone. It’s putting myself out there, knowing not everyone is as passionate about literacy, but still wanting to get the word out. As A to Z has slowly moved forward, being uncomfortable has helped me grow. I now understand that I can’t be the One Woman Show. I need support. I need volunteers, book finders, book sorters and fundraisers. I need folks who like marketing and have great ideas on how to make A to Z Literacy Movement even better. It’s being a bit uncomfortable that motivates me to continue what I set out to accomplish. It’s knowing that too many children are depending on me to deliver books to their schools, churches and homes. Care to join me?