This is just one of the many examples of how our community has come together to answer calls for help. Former Midnight Mission employee Mykel Horn reached out to Director of Public Affairs Georgia Berkovich. Mykel said he needed help; he was having trouble getting around and was in desperate need of a wheelchair or even a walker. Georgia immediately spread the word to the staff, posted a request on social media and urged the staff to do the same.
Communications Manager, Candace Schultz did just that. She posted the request on her personal Facebook page and promptly received a response from her friends, the Padilla family. Meanwhile, Community Events Coordinator, Joey Weinert had posted a similar request on his personal Facebook and within just a few hours had a reply from family friend Bob Sharits. We now had two wheel chair donations.
The following Sunday, Georgia and her fiancé 95.5 KLOS Radio Personality Gary Moore, delivered one of the chairs to Mykel at his home in Anaheim. And, during the visit, Mykel was reminded that he is still a beloved member of our Midnight Mission family. Now, we needed to figure out what to do with the second chair.
Then, out of the blue, Georgia was notified by TMM Program Advocate Rita Richardson that one of TMM’s homeless guests, Elizabeth, needed help. Her wheelchair had been stolen. Rita was able to offer her the second wheelchair collected. Elizabeth was not only relieved, but really grateful to her Midnight Mission family.
Asking for help is something that is not easy for most people. We want to be self-sufficient and we don’t want to impose on others. Asking for help can also feel like we have failed ourselves. But, sometimes we find ourselves at a point in our life where we really have no other choice. And, during those times, it is nice to know that we can reach out and find that there is a community who is willing to help.