Jessie, George, and Winston
by Gerry Rose of Integrity Networking Solutions

This past Saturday I met Jessie, George, and Winston.  Let me share the stories they told me and how it applies to our network.

Jessie is 22 years old.  He is an old and mature 22 years old - a young man who works as a barber by day.  When away from the chair, he ministers to his minions.  I am told he is a wonderful minister.  Married, he and his sweet wife make beautiful music.  As I heard them preach and sing to approximately 75 to 100 children I heard his story. You see Jessie lost his father on August 13, 2005 at the young age of 37.  His father was lost to abuse of the consumption of drugs and alcohol.  As a child Jessie exchanged living quarters between his father, mother, and grandmother.  He experienced abuse, alcohol/drug addiction, molestation, and other atrocities a child should not encounter.  From this life of hell came what now appears to be a future of hope, success, and good deeds.

George is a man of many words and experiences.  His life experiences include mortgage agent, realtor, computer guru, non-profit fundraiser, gardener, landscape architect, and now he works as a manager of a homeless shelter.  Raised in New York, New York, he has lived across the United States, now residing in San Diego.  He has a daughter who also lives in the area, thus the reason for living here. Suffering the many ills that can come from substance abuse, George has survived a number of heart and stroke occurrences.  As a manager of a homeless shelter, he spends much of his time today with his computer and continues to work hard managing the gardens, trimming trees, and mowing.

Winston is homeless, living under a bridge in South San Diego with his dog.  He is bright eyed and eager for life.  He works daily for a tree trimming company.  He knows it is a choice to live out in the open, choosing to do so, seeing only the rewards of his freedom. He reverently speaks of his best friend, his dog.  You see Winston can speak with his dog in low tones, using hand gestures for commands.  A leash is unnecessary because of the close bond they share, living out in the open under the bridge.

You see, I met these three men while networking with my friends Evelyn and Glen Jackson of the Trinity House at this weekend’s Sleep Out Saturday (SOS.)  This, the second annual SOS, is set to make the San Diego community aware of the plight of the homeless and to raise money for the Trinity House.  Evelyn and Glen, once homeless themselves, now own four homes in South San Diego County that house and feed the homeless.

The last two years I have spent this Saturday in November helping Evelyn and Glen realize their mission in life.  The purpose of this article is to use this experience to:

• Raise awareness in how we can spend our networking time increasing our network beyond the norm

• Use our time, energy, and creativity to the better good of serving those less fortunate

• Find out how you are spending your time, energy, and creativity to serve the community

To that end, what are you doing or what would you like to do to support those less fortunate?  I would like to read/hear your stories and share those with others, as is appropriate.

Finally, I would ask that as you find it in your heart, please send your tax-deductible donations to Trinity House, 744 Otay Lakes Road, #105, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Gerry Rose runs INTEGRITY Networking Solutions in Oceanside, CA.  He works with realtors who want to attract the right prospects and their affinity partners who want to generate more referrals.  More than 10,000 businesses have been presented the INTEGRITY Networking Solutions system in San Diego, Riverside, and Orange Counties. Gerry’s stimulating presentation Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals is ideally suited for small business owners, home-based businesses, and independent professionals who want clearer direction and want to attract more prospects, develop dynamic systems, and strengthen their companies’ accountability.  Gerry does one on one consulting, conducts a range of keynote speeches from thirty minutes to full-day education workshops. For more about Gerry visit - http://www.southwestblend.com/integrity/index.htm