Both Hands is a great name for this organization, but I keep wanting to call it something else. When you hear more about it, you will know why (in my mind) the alternative name for Both Hands is Extreme Makeover: Widow and Orphan edition!
According to a message from their founder J.T. Olson, Both Hands began when a friend refused to sponsor him in a Charity Golf Game. The friend denied J.T’s request saying that he wouldn’t sponsor him for the golf game, but the friend did say that if J.T. was doing something like working on a widow’s home to raise funds for the charity, he would be interested in sponsoring that. While I am certain that was not the response J.T. expected, it was certainly a response that provoked some thought. Out of those thoughts, Both Hands was born. From their website http://bothhandsfoundation.org/, “Both Hands is a non-profit organization with a two-fold mission. We serve widows in a very practical way in our communities, while raising funds to help willing families adopt.” Both Hands work with Lifesong for Orphans http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/ to make this innovative fund-raising method a blessing for widows and adoptive families.
Imagine being a widow with limited ability to do home repairs or landscape projects, what a joy it would be to have a team arrive excited and prepared to do just what you need. Imagine being an adoptive family working hard to save for an adoption. Wouldn’t this type of project be a great way to help and be helped at the same time?
Lifesong explains the program like this, “When adoptive families are accepted into this program, Lifesong and Both Hands helps the family to remove financial barriers to their adoption and help benefit a widow’s home.” In this program, an adoptive family asks for 10 volunteers to work on a widow’s home for one day. Prior to the work day, those volunteers send out sponsorship letters to ask friends to sponsor them in the work on the widow’s home. Those sponsorship funds go to Lifesong who gives these funds in the form of a grant to the adoptive family. These projects raise an average of $10,000 for the adoptive family. What a great way for so many to get involved helping widows and orphans!
Of course, there are many more details in the online manual for this project. http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/bothHands.html There you will find instructions on things like recruiting volunteers, choosing a widow’s home-improvement or landscaping project, finding a superintendent (any retired skilled construction workers among you?), making a project timeline, finding materials, and much more.
Local families, if you are considering a project with Both Hands, let us know! We think there are some of you out there considering this. We would love to help. Also, if you would be interested in being a construction superintendent on this kind of job or if you know of a widow with a project, can you let us know? Maybe we can help connect everyone to make one or more of these projects a go!
