Ian King Los Angeles, is a business consultant and avid supporter of various local and national charities. As part of his profession, he helps business owners that are uncertain about their financial future solve problems. This includes how sales teams can find new customers, hire knowledgeable employees, and better manage corporate finances.
This same sense of uncertainty and precariousness is familiar to those living unsheltered. In a recent Los Angeles Daily news report, a snapshot of the San Fernando Valley population living in tents, vehicles, and shelters in 2020 numbered in the thousands – none of these are defined as adequate housing, and many more may simply be living on the streets.
But, Ian Mitchell King realizes we don’t need a homeless count when anyone living in an American metropolis can see the problem of homelessness has reached epidemic proportions. He has even seen a broader trend in the San Fernando Valley or those who may have shelter but are lacking basics. Still, essential components, like food, heat, clothing, and medical attention, support a minimum of life.
Ian Mitchell King on Paying It Forward
Several years back, the idiom ‘pay it forward’ became extremely popular. It proposed that if each person were to do one act of kindness to another, the ripple effect would be astounding! Donating money to the needy is undoubtedly one way to pay it forward, but the essence of the saying was meant to be more personal.
Paying it forward is an action statement and includes any help given to another without expectation of recognition or reciprocity. The only hope is that the person receiving the kindness will also donate an act of kindness to another. Ian King Los Angeles has quietly lived this philosophy all his life.
As a member of the international philanthropic organization, The Rotary Club, Mr. King believes strongly in the charity’s mission to provide community service, promote integrity, and advance goodwill, peace, and understanding worldwide. Serving with the Pasadena Rotary and other nearby charters, Ian Mitchell King takes advantage of the opportunity to help as a volunteer with homeless outreach, battered women, underprivileged youth, and veterans.
He appreciates having the opportunity, the resources, and the talents to help others. But not all charitable actions need to be so serious. Mr. King also participates in a Rotary Club Fellowship club called Surfers United. This group offers member support and camaraderie along with a Boys to Men Mentoring program centered around beach activities like bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kite surfing, and stand-up paddle boarding.
Volunteering for his services at the annual Rose Parade is another excellent opportunity in which Mr. King enjoys giving back. The Parade of Roses always needs volunteers to decorate floats and ensure this televised production goes off without a hitch. There are many ways to pay it forward within our communities, but the most pressing need of our country is still helping the unsheltered find a warm, dry place to live, clothing, food, and gainful employment.
Ways To Help The Unsheltered This Winter
A great way to help the homeless before the chilling winds and cold winter rains is to partner with one of your local homeless shelters. They will often have programs in which you can serve directly or help indirectly. Three popular ways to help homeless shelters include services like:
- prepping, cooking, or serving food or helping with cleanup
- donating or sorting second-hand adult clothing or new coats for kids
- fundraising among the community and local business owners to help
These shelters may also need administrative help or computer support like simple repairs or deploying the latest software release to keep their operations running smoothly.
Often, homeless families, women, and men simply need a point of contact to stay in touch with. This is typically done by telephone through service organizations. It can be mind-boggling when older persons need help but have trouble navigating new government systems – much done online.
Ian King Los Angeles doesn’t suggest helping a homeless person directly from the street with this assistance. Still, there is undoubtedly a need to help those without computer-savvy or access to computer technology to fill out online applications for work, apartments, and government assistance programs. Maybe this would be a good community program that can be started as a group and conducted from your local library during certain days and hours of the week.
Paying it forward always has rewards for both the donator and the receiver. As we move more and more people from shelters and street living, our neighborhoods become more vibrant, safer, and more loving. During the upcoming holiday season, even a small token of kindness given to a family in the form of a gift certificate from a grocery or discount store can make all the difference in someone’s day.