Just about all of us have some unique talent or skill. And using that ability to help others is a way to provide an even more unique service to the community. The common theme in this short, but diverse list is to open your eyes, ears and heart.

THE DOCTOR

Heartbreak created Dr William Novick’s vision for heart repair.

The founder and Medical Director of Baby Heart, Dr Novick was a doing his residency in 1990 when a 12-year-old girl from Nigeria was brought to his office. She had critical damage to her heart that was unrepairable,” he says. What made the tragedy worse was had she been in the US, the defect would have been fixed and at 12 she would have lived a normal life.

When he told the parents their little girl did not have long, he was struck the parents were “extremely appreciative.” The translator confirmed they knew what was going on, but her mom and dad still knew Dr Novick was doing his best. “I had nightmares for six weeks in a row,” he remembers.

“I had some friends from Columbia. They suggested I come down and help the children there. That’s when the nightmares ended,” he remembers.” That’s when I made the decision I would give some of my time away,” he says. Working in Orlando, Florida he was  also able to help children from the Caribbean.

In April, 1993 he formed Baby Heart and five months later he became a professor at University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.  He is afforded the time to head to nations where young heart patients now have a chance at a long life. “These kids deserve what kids would get in a first world country,” he says.

The girl from Nigeria may be gone now, but her legacy remains in that seed she planted almost twenty years ago.  “We have operated on about 3,600 children in 21 countries,” Novick says and along the trip he takes other doctors, nurses and d other health professionals. “The people who make these trips say it’s a life-changing experience for them,” he says.

“Open your eyes. Look at people and look at the world and see the needy and suffering,” he says.  “Don’t just live your life to go through your daily routine. You might make the world a better place.”

THE BUSINESSMAN

It is not hard to see the best way to help someone is to empower them and with SCORE, The Service Corps of Retired Executives, years of business experience is shared with small entrepreneurs through mentoring and information exchange.   

James Frommel , who is now on the national board of directors, had more than thirty years as a business manager or of financial affairs  of WMC-TV/FM/AM stations in Memphis, Tennessee and later became a Certified Financial Planner. In 1998 he joined SCORE.

“I have been fortunate in having a great business career and I look to give back some of the blessings… I didn’t want to retire fully and I have a passion for small business,” he says.

And small business is perhaps one of the most unappreciated sectors of the economy. How many news stories have you seen  about a large company relocating to a city and receiving  tax breaks and headlines, but small businesses and the self employed provide half of the nation’s non- farm private gross domestic product. Helping small business is just as important as helping large companies. One company hiring 1,000 people in a community or 100 companies hiring 10 people in the community both take 1,000 people off unemployment.

Entrepreneurs are talented in their field. A master chef may be an expert on preparing South American cuisine, but what would that master chef know about writing a business plan?

With Score’s assistance, future entrepreneurs get the advice from mentors who have been there. They dispel hype about “free money from the government,” assign homework and even let the businessman or woman know if the concept is not ready.

Though still a financial planner with   Cremerius Rice Financial Advisors, volunteers must subscribe to a code of ethics including a provision stating they must not use their position as a mentor to benefit themselves financially. For example an advertising executive could not recommend his own ad agency to a business he is mentoring.

Frommel remembers one success story. “A lady from Southeast Asia came to us to start a nail salon. Now she has 5 to 6 throughout the city,” he says.

“As you begin your participation you may discover that this is not what you want to do,” Frommel says. “Every volunteer organization has a program that is designed to take the new volunteer and give a grounding as to what is to be expected of that volunteer,” he says. “I may be a great writer or I may be great at doing presentations. Score has a lot of activities that don’t involve counseling.”

THE MUSICIAN

Growing up in Teheran, Iran, Lily Afshar knew from an early age she wanted to be a veterinarian. “We always had dogs,” she says. “I was always around animals. When you look into a dogs eyes and see the expression on a dog’s face and when they show their appreciation and right away they love you that is really special to me. Dogs are always loving. You see them licking the face of someone who has been burned in a fire. They don’t care what you look like or how much you weigh. It’s unconditional love.”  

But then when she was ten years old, her life took a turn when she heard her cousin playing the classical guitar. She ran home and said “Daddy, I want to play the guitar!”

After moving to the US, she became the first woman in the world to get a Doctorate of Music in guitar. Since then she has played all over the world, teaches at the University of Memphis and is now working on her fifth CD. But her love for the animals and desire to help them has not changed.

Last year she played a benefit for the Memphis Humane Society at Otherlands Coffee Shop. Concert halls are familiar ground for Afshar, but a coffee shop? Would she be competing with conversation and the cappuccino machine? She was presently surprised.

“There was not one noise and the audience was hanging on every note,” she remembers.

She suggests talented people seek out charities, but adds charities should seek out talented people. “Maybe the charities should reach out to their friends. They should be knocking on doors! I am here. I would love to do a big concert for the dogs!”

And she may well in the future. If you catch her performance notice her talent for sounding like two or three highly skilled guitarists working in perfect harmony. Then look closely at the end of each piece as she gives a huge smile. At that point it is easy to see that ten-year-old saying “Daddy, I want to play the guitar!”

THE PILOT

The full time job for Steve Baggerly is president of the Bank of the Panhandle in Guymon, Oklahoma . But he is a part time angel. He even has wings

Residents of Guymon  live in the Panhandle area of the state and far from the larger cities like Oklahoma City, Denver or Dallas. Here the small town remoteness can be trouble for those who require medical resources of the big city such as chemotherapy and specialized surgeries not available nearby. Flying is the best way  to get from Guymon to  the doctor’s appointments which are sometimes hundreds of miles away. Unlike an air ambulance, the patient must be ambulatory to use the services. 

That’s where Angel Flight helps. “Pilots donate their planes, fuel and time. There are no paid employees on the staff,” Baggerly says. “The patient pays nothing.”

Pilots love to fly. “If you have that asset it makes sense. You are flying for a reason and not just burning gas,” he says. His furthest angel flight was to Shreveport, LA about 400 miles one way.

“You learn from all your flights. They are very inspiring to hear these stories,” he says. “I fly one patient, a little girl with cerebral palsy. Her dad is a devout Catholic. We went to dinner and he gave thanks for all the blessings they have been given.  If they can be thankful, we all can be. “

“Look around.  There are always people who need something everywhere and a lot don’t ask. But they need something and those needs will become apparent,” he says. “You have to help even when it is not convenient.”

THE CONGREGATION

Back in the fall of 2006, the congregation of Park Community Church in Chicago was given a surprise when the collection plate was passed. It was filled with $10,000 cash in unmarked envelopes with a $1, $5, $10, $20 or $50 bill inside. Those sitting in the pews were told to take out an envelope-they had no idea how much was in each- and use it to help their fellow man. Counterintuitive, yes, but talk with Lead Pastor Jackson Crum and it seems oh so logical.

It also goes back to Mathew 25 14:30 where a king entrusts his three servants with coins or “talents.” One gets 5… and he doubled it. The other received 2 and doubled it as well. The third decided to play it safe and bury his one talent. The church did not want to be that servant.

“Sadly it is easy for the church to turn inward and only look after its own,” Crum says. “As followers of Christ we are instructed to take care of widows and orphans. We are driven by the life of Christ,” he says.

So the church recognizing the diversity and creativity of their members sent them to see what they could do with the money. “We knew some people would use it to buy a latte. But that was extremely rare,” he says. Over the next few weeks the members told how they used the money.

There was one member who took the money from his envelope, multiplied it by ten and used the money for socks and underwear for the homeless. Another went to the Albany Park, IL police station and asked for ideas on how the money could be spent to reduce crime. They told him they were starting a youth fishing club. He bought them bait and tackle. One man gave the money to a man in need and then in a leap of faith that would challenge even the most devoted church-goer, gave the man his credit card and told the man to go into the community and use the card to help. The man put money on the card rather than use it. 

Crum estimates the $10,000 was tripled or perhaps quadrupled by the congregation.  Hearing the story one is amazed by the variety in how many different ways different people could use their minds to help… the members were as varied in their vision stretching from socks to fishing tackle.

So where are the talents in each of us? How can we help? According to the Pastor, the pilot, the musician, the businessman and the doctor, just look and listen.

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