it all started with a question
Coming Together Through Leadership, Vision, and a Passion to Help
"Can you remember a time in your life when you felt alone?”
The answers shared by the visionaries of ONE THING became the very foundation of what this initiative was built upon. Each answer to that question was different than the next. Yet in some ways they were very much alike, inspiring an awareness of one thing we all have in common: aloneness doesn't discriminate; it effects every race, age, gender, and zip code.
Brought together through the Leadership Rhode Island (LRI) Coming Together Program in 2020, the nine classmates with a passion for servitude leadership enthusiastically accepted the challenge presented to them: to develop an initiative that would bring support to those affected by the epidemic of aloneness in Rhode Island. With spirited energy, the team began brainstorming, challenging each other with mutual respect and together, they created ONE THING – a concept simple in message and in action with the potential to have a tremendous impact on community, health, and the well being of so many people.
What one thing can each of us do to help someone else who might be feeling alone? A listening ear. A meal. A kind gesture. #onethinghelps someone alone.
As collaborative discussions continued, the ONE THING team, and the entire world, was met with the many challenges of COVID-19. And due to increased levels of social isolation, aloneness took on a new meaning. All teamwork went virtual, and the concept of #onethinghelps strengthened as global isolation was upon all. Then, communities all around the world were reminded of the very real racial injustices happening everywhere. With these challenges facing many communities, the inspiration and benefits provided by ONE THING helped to bridge resources available to Rhode Islanders, and the initiative became even more meaningful during the changing cultural tides.
What one thing can each of us do to help someone else who might be feeling alone? A phone call. A handwritten note. Just checking in. #onethinghelps someone alone.
As early corporate, nonprofit, and individual partnerships and support increased in interest, engagement, and reach, collaborations and excitement around ONE THING spread. The vision that one small act can make one big difference in the lives of people who are feeling alone was becoming a reality full of benefits to all communities.
What one thing can each of us do to help someone else who might be feeling alone? Picking up groceries for a neighbor. Helping someone who looks lost. Asking how someone is doing. #onethinghelps someone alone.
ONE THING and #onethinghelps is an invitation to all to continue to make a vision of happiness for all a reality, and to support a mission that encourages everyone to do one thing for those who feel alone. Like so many, we could all use that one thing in our lives when we're feeling alone too. That may just be the answer, because #onethinghelps.
The One Thing Team:
Jillian Belanger, Scott Bromberg, Chachi Carvalho, Richard Davia, DJ Fernandes, Crisolita Figueiredo, Emily Martineau, Cristen Raucci, and Rebecca Twitchell
The answers shared by the visionaries of ONE THING became the very foundation of what this initiative was built upon. Each answer to that question was different than the next. Yet in some ways they were very much alike, inspiring an awareness of one thing we all have in common: aloneness doesn't discriminate; it effects every race, age, gender, and zip code.
Brought together through the Leadership Rhode Island (LRI) Coming Together Program in 2020, the nine classmates with a passion for servitude leadership enthusiastically accepted the challenge presented to them: to develop an initiative that would bring support to those affected by the epidemic of aloneness in Rhode Island. With spirited energy, the team began brainstorming, challenging each other with mutual respect and together, they created ONE THING – a concept simple in message and in action with the potential to have a tremendous impact on community, health, and the well being of so many people.
What one thing can each of us do to help someone else who might be feeling alone? A listening ear. A meal. A kind gesture. #onethinghelps someone alone.
As collaborative discussions continued, the ONE THING team, and the entire world, was met with the many challenges of COVID-19. And due to increased levels of social isolation, aloneness took on a new meaning. All teamwork went virtual, and the concept of #onethinghelps strengthened as global isolation was upon all. Then, communities all around the world were reminded of the very real racial injustices happening everywhere. With these challenges facing many communities, the inspiration and benefits provided by ONE THING helped to bridge resources available to Rhode Islanders, and the initiative became even more meaningful during the changing cultural tides.
What one thing can each of us do to help someone else who might be feeling alone? A phone call. A handwritten note. Just checking in. #onethinghelps someone alone.
As early corporate, nonprofit, and individual partnerships and support increased in interest, engagement, and reach, collaborations and excitement around ONE THING spread. The vision that one small act can make one big difference in the lives of people who are feeling alone was becoming a reality full of benefits to all communities.
What one thing can each of us do to help someone else who might be feeling alone? Picking up groceries for a neighbor. Helping someone who looks lost. Asking how someone is doing. #onethinghelps someone alone.
ONE THING and #onethinghelps is an invitation to all to continue to make a vision of happiness for all a reality, and to support a mission that encourages everyone to do one thing for those who feel alone. Like so many, we could all use that one thing in our lives when we're feeling alone too. That may just be the answer, because #onethinghelps.
The One Thing Team:
Jillian Belanger, Scott Bromberg, Chachi Carvalho, Richard Davia, DJ Fernandes, Crisolita Figueiredo, Emily Martineau, Cristen Raucci, and Rebecca Twitchell