By Shilo Groover| November 24, 2020 at 4:59 PM CST – Updated November 24 at 5:01 PM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – On a sunny afternoon two days before Thanksgiving, a truck full of all the holiday trimmings, with the World Games 2022 logo emblazoned on the side pulls up in front of Mrs. Dianne Hasberry’s home.
“Oh this is a Blessing. God is really good to us!” she exclaims.
She and her son Reginald and family will have a feast this year, with ham, turkey, stuffing, Hawaiian rolls and more, thanks to the Birmingham Organizing Committee of the World Games.
“When you think about how blessed we are as an organization you have to realize that as blessed as you are, you have to be a blessing,” says Kathy Boswell. She’s the Vice President of Community Engagement for the World Games 2022. “We have been blessed to have people believe in the games and so we are reflecting together with so many other companies to take a moment to be a blessing to others in this city so that’s really how it’s come about.”
That’s something that the Hasberry family believes in too.
“As long as you walk right and talk right and don’t just think about yourself if you get a blessing to bless somebody else,” says Dianne Hasberry, “You live right, you get a blessing you pass it on to somebody else.”
They will be sharing the meal with her grand children and great grandchildren.https://a6c419b6a32cdba9a7cbfd3cb0b483ae.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
Some of the other families chosen by the world games include domestic violence survivors, those with disabilities, and a single mom working the overnight shift to support her family.
They were chosen through a partnership with local organizations including Girls Inc, the YWCA, the Community Care Network, the Lakeshore Foundation and the Birmingham Education Foundation.
“That’s how we tapped into the community in a very diverse and unique way to find diverse types of families,” explains Kathy. “There is not a shortage of need right now. We were blessed to find families who really welcomed and were so grateful for the opportunity.”
For Kathy, spreading blessings and kindness is very personal this year.
She recently lost her 19 year old son in a car accident, and she says delivering kindness is a way to keep him alive.
“He left such a mark of kindness and love, so that every time I am doing something good it’s a reminder that I am taking him with me it’s a reminder too that every day we need to be an intentional blessing wherever we can,” she says calmly through her tears.
“I want to remind people don’t take the moments for granted. Always remember to look around the table, just the moments you have with your family and embed the memories in your mind because there is a lot to be thankful for, and time is one of them. Sometimes we take for granted that we will have tomorrow that’s not always the case,” says Kathy. “Make every day matter so that when someone may not be present, there are no regrets that they knew then that you loved them and that you will always be able to hold in your mind that they loved you too.”
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