Asset Message of the Week - "The Ask"

Some of you know that I’m involved with a “Young Leaders” group based out of the Middlesex United Way. As we were planning a social event for December someone offered the idea of tying it to a toy drive. Since the group has only been around for a handful of months we really tempered our expectations. As it turned out, we shouldn’t have. The event was able to collect around 170 toys and helped a number of local toy distribution efforts achieve their goals while even getting through their waitlists too. What we found is that each person in the group went to their jobs and let others know they were looking for toys and in they came. One member from Wesleyan put together a flyer connected with a day of athletic events on campus and brought in 60 toys just through the university staff and students. Another who works in Bethel, CT, a good 45 minutes away from our community, sent out an email and the next day found toys on her desk when she came into work.


To me, the take away from this is around “the ask”. So much good can be done but sometimes we’re afraid to ask or think that it may be too much work or more often than not we assume people will just say no.

This doesn’t just go for toy drives or even asking adults to participate in something…it also is connected to the way we utilize our young people in a community. Sometimes we take for granted their desire to help others or to be involved, whether it’s something random around the house or in the community. In the six years in this job, I’m continually surprised by how willing our teens are to get involved. Regardless of background or appearance they say yes; some of the kids who I thought were the least likely to participate are the ones that are the most surprised and eager when asked. Even with this toy drive, we held a wrapping party and asked members of our youth leadership group to participate and sure enough we had 10 students there that day with members of the Young Leaders and Macdonough staff. Some of the teens I had expected to be there, but several others I did not and they all had a blast.

With the craziness of the holidays staring us in the face, take a step back and see if you can identify one or two things to include a young person. It might be baking, it might be wrapping, it might be watching the game with you. But the key is “the ask” because we will never know what might happen unless we try.

Have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday weekend.

Thanks for all you do.