B.I.O.N.I.C. Alumni Continuing to Impact the World
With tears streaming down her face, she said, ““Thank you for caring about more than the bottom line. We walked out of the offices of two accountants in the last two days because they shamed us.”
B.I.O.N.I.C. Teams not only impact those they reach out to, but they impact the B.I.O.N.I.C. students too. They learn life skills in real life situations that help them know how to easily reach out to others for the rest of their lives. The B.I.O.N.I.C. Team movement is continuing and expanding in a big way because of the B.I.O.N.I.C. alumni who are impacting their realms of influence after leaving their B.I.O.N.I.C. schools.
The scenario mentioned above occurred during tax season with the April 15th deadline quickly approaching. The B.I.O.N.I.C. alum, Jeff (names have been changed to protect privacy) was looking over the tax information that the young couple brought in with them. He saw a $15,000 credit card statement which was very unusual to see for couple at their young age. So he said, “I see this credit card debt of $15,000. Wow that is a lot for your ages. You must have gone through something very difficult to have to put that much on a credit card. Are you guys okay? Do you have any questions about how I can be of help?”
The man and woman hung their heads in embarrassment. Not looking up, the man said, “My dad had a heart attack, and the bills were so high that we helped. And then my parents had to move out of their home so we helped with that too.” Tears flowed down the woman’s face, and Jeff handed her a tissue.
Jeff commented, “I am so, so sorry! That must have been very difficult to go through as a family. Do you know there are resources in the community that can help you and your parents through this difficult time? I can get you information on some of those resources.”
With tears streaming down her face, the young woman said, “Thank you for caring about more than the bottom line. We walked out of the offices of two accountants in the last two days because they shamed us. Thank you for truly caring about us.” Jeff felt genuine compassion for the couple and took the time to care, not just about preparing their taxes, but about helping with their lives too. Jeff knew what to say and what not to say because of all the people he help reached out to during his time on his school’s B.I.O.N.I.C. Team. Ashley had learned how to care too.
Ashley had recently moved into a small community with her young family. Then COVID hit. As the months went by, she began to notice the needs of those in her community who were struggling to put food on the table for their families because they had worked in industries that had been shut down by COVID. From her years on the B.I.O.N.I.C. Team and reaching out to communities devastated by hurricanes, tornadoes, and school shootings, she knew how to gather resources for the hurting in communities.
So Ashley coordinated efforts to start a food bank in her community. She knew how to ask businesses for donations for those needing food. Ashley jumped into action when she saw the great needs around her, and many have made it through the pandemic partly because of Ashley’s efforts to rally the community to help their neighbors going through tough times. B.I.O.N.I.C. Team members know what to do or how to look for resources when they see a need.
The B.I.O.N.I.C. Team members started a movement in 2004 by wanting to let their peers know they are “seen,” they “matter,” and people care. They didn’t want to see others end up taking their lives because they lost hope, felt alone, or couldn’t find a purpose to live. They are continuing to want to impact the world because they know that one caring action can save someone’s life! Want to join us? Click on the “Contact Us” link above.