Drawing of a YM card share done by Drew S. Photo by Ronnet R. of Columbus, Georgia
Hi YuMMies,
We’re less than two months away from the start of the Marathon, and we already have 9,548 individual participants, 105 Ambassador organizations, and 80 countries signed up! Make sure to post You Matter pictures, short videos, and stories in our Facebook group and in our website Guestbook to encourage others to get involved too. In the meantime, enjoy a few You Matter stories that have nourished my soul over the past few years:
“The 94-year old Hospice patient I visited this afternoon was just waking up from a nap. Because of her Alzheimer’s, our conversations are typically a bit upside down and inside out. As I was leaving, I gave her a You Matter card.
‘Can you read that?’ I asked.
She squinted. ‘Something matters?’
‘Yes, you!’ I said.
Her smile was so warm and genuine that I knew we had connected.” – Jan from PA
“Thank you for this opportunity. I handed out cards at my Girl Scout Troop and gave each girl an extra one to give to someone else. There was one girl who had recently attempted suicide and while she put on a tough teenage exterior, I could see in her face and eyes that it really meant something to her. If each of those girls gave a card to someone else that might have been struggling in Middle School – who knows what impact this small gesture may have throughout the community.” – Anonymous
“I was diagnosed with cancer this year, so participating in the You Matter movement was particularly poignant. It truly helped to have an attitude of gratitude – I beat the cancer!” – Kelley
“I initially shared the cards with the people that work directly under me. It was another way for me to show my appreciation for all they do for our team. As I was meeting with my peers to set our initiatives for the coming year, we were talking about ways to provide additional training and feedback to not only new hires but our existing employees. The purpose of the initiative is to make sure our teams know that we are invested in their future with our company. For some reason, the You Matter campaign popped into my head. I happened to have some cards with me and gave each of them 2. I explained the story behind them and how I had given them to my people. I told them to keep one for themselves and share the other one with someone else. My boss suggested that we build our initiative around those two words, “You Matter.” We now have a great initiative for 2020 which focuses on team building, additional training, and fun. I will definitely be definitely be ordering some more cards.” – Anonymous
Sign up for the 2020 You Matter Marathon today & create your own You Matter Magic with us this year!
You Matter.
Cheryl Rice, Founder
https://youmattermarathon.org/
