One Woman, One Love, a Multitude of Blessings

I just FINALLY finished a project that had me working 16 hours a day 7 days a week for the last month and a half.  So what did I do to celebrate?  Kick up my feet and relax a bit? Turn on Tivo to watch the chilling suspense-filled finale of Dancing with the Stars? Catch up on all the work I slagged off on over the last six weeks?  Take time to reconnect with loved ones I kept putting on hold until the behemoth project was done?  

Without even realizing it, while sipping my celebratory cup of victory tea (insert Yorkshire Gold plug here) and listening to the Joie de Vivre Lifestyle anthem, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, I mindlessly sat down at the computer to do some site surfing to unwind.  Next thing I knew I'd signed up on VolunteerMatch and proffered my services to a very worthy cause, One Love-One Community, based in DelRay Beach, Florida (Love-Community.org) 

In chatting with Founder & CEO Barbara Haider to learn about her community-embracing organization, my heart was profoundly touched by her thoughts on community, as well as the kind of caring woman she is.


Here I relate an iota or two of the love and compassion she mentioned to me by phone.  I gleaned that Barbara had grown up in an environment of giving. Her church was always giving things to people in need, lots of hand-me-downs, lots of recycled treasures.  


"It was a high like nothing else and I thought when i grow up I want to do the same thing."

And so while in school she became active with philanthropic groups such as The Red Cross and Salvation Army.

Once she had a family of her own she shared that same spirit of generosity with her children and their friends.  Unsurprisingly, she was the mom on the block who had the house that all the kids in the neighborhood wanted to stay at.  This became such common knowledge that at one point the administration of the school which her children attended issued a threat that students who misbehaved would not be allowed to go to Mrs. Haider's house!

Barbara Haider, Founder & CEO
One Love-One Community

[I'm hoping this blog post will enable me to shmooze my way into a slumber party invitation at Chez Haider!]

In addition to being a postermom for all things happy happy joy joy, the perpetual "26-year old" has also enjoyed a career as an extremely successful business woman who owned a vibrant and viable professional firm called Total Office Management serving high-end corporate clients in Northern California.  Not even her employees were spared her contagious altruism, as she offered them their full regular pay for any hours they committed to doing community service...... you may continue reading once the slight jaw-dropping stun wears off....

Ask her what she found most rewarding about having her own business and you will learn that it was "the flexibility to help others and make a difference"...... yep.  When her children were growing up and were asked what their mother did for a living they ingenuously answered, "She goes off every morning to save the world."  And I am beginning to believe she just may do it!

While in California she served as president of several charitable organizations as well as joined affiliated committees.  She also started up a mentoring group for girls on the verge of being 'kicked out' of school, and began volunteering in community areas that most people did not want to go to, including schools with armed guards.  She blithely mentioned that she never faced any problems visiting such locales.

Of the various kind-hearted activities she mentioned, I think the one that struck me most sweetly was the Backpacks for the Homeless program she began in San Francisco. Ever the practical business woman, she figured backpacks with basic necessities would be something those without closets and cupboards or things to put in them could actually use.  And so she got her friends and family collecting hotel toiletries, product samples etc, going so far as to including snacks and umbrellas.  Soon the project evolved to include blankets for the winter.


When her husband's career took the family to Florida she transplanted her passion and empathy to the East Coast and founded her current child-based nonprofit, One Love-One Community.  She stresses the importance of investing in children because frankly they really are the future!  Of the kids she reaches out to she says, "They care because you care, and they don’t want to disappoint you.... [Our goal is] to level the playing field and provide inclusion for those who are not included, especially those who just need someone to take the time to say hello."

The organization's projects include the annual Juneteenth celebration, Heal Not Kill - an anti-violence/anti-bullying program, and Winners by Design - dedicated to empowering young women.  "We are creating a village to raise confident, educated and empowered young ladies."  


And if these young ladies turn out to be a fraction as confident and caring and empowered as she, we will all be the beneficiaries.