Winning the Lottery

• Aug
  30
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• 1

I was chatting with Tyler Merrick, our Founder, the other day and he told me about an experience he had recently. It touched me and wanted to share it with all of you. Take a look. A message from our founder - Tyler Merrick Earlier this summer I was in NYC for Fancy Foods, a tradeshow that Project 7 was exhibiting at. As far as tradeshows go, this show is the pinnacle in the food industry. Down every isle a collection of delicious, rare food delicacies await showgoers. To say we felt a little bit out of place would be an understatement. In some ways our presence "interrupted" the show, with messages like "Feed the Hungry" plastered all over our booth. Opulence isn't about "feeding the hungry," and we knew it. It's hard not to get discouraged, even before the day starts, knowing that you are the odd man out. That coupled with the unknowns, like will people looking for the finest food money can buy will stop at our booth to learn about changing the world, or will they skip it to try some 18-year-old balsamic vinegar. It's hard to not lose sight of your objective when one is in a sea of self-indulgence. However, there we were, taking a step of faith. To top it all off, the world cup was underway and Ghana was playing the U.S. - this being mentioned will all make sense soon. I found myself wrapped up in myself at the end of the first day of the show. We didn’t have any big leads, I missed my family, I was just wrapped up in “me”. Never mind that if I just took five minutes to take stock in what I have to be thankful for it would have sounded like a wish list for Christmas for most. However, I wasn’t in that frame of mind... I was into me. We got ready for dinner, got into a taxi cab and all that changed. There were three of us from Project 7, so I hopped in the front seat with the driver. And this is the man that changed my perspective for the better. His story was amazing. He was from Ghana and he had literally "won the lottery" to come to America. For six years in a row, he tried and failed. On the seventh year he finally "won." He told me about Ghana and how much he loved it there, how wonderful the people were. But, he also talked of how much he loved America and how his life had changed forever - for the better. He was one of the happiest, kind men I had ever met - and it was real. And, to top it all off, Ghana had just beat the U.S. in the World Cup. He wasn’t boastful in Ghana’s win over America, just happy. This man beamed with pride for both his old country and his new. It was amazing. He helped me realize something. This man had left everything behind to get to America. He drove a cab for 14 hours a day, six days a week and in New York City - the toughest place to be a cab driver. He didn’t work on Sundays, as that was his day for worship at church. He didn’t complain about the bumper to bumper traffic and people that cut him off. He just smiled and thanks poured out of him. I couldn’t help but feel so convicted about my selfishness, how I took for granted the very country my family and I lived in. How I was focusing on the wrong successes and blessings. Thanks to this happy man from Ghana the negative thoughts of the day about not yielding any sales leads were put into perspective and became a distant thought. My family is safe and taken care of, I want for nothing and have the opportunity to do some real good with Project 7. Soon our cab drive was over. I thanked our new friend for making my day and that I looked forward to seeing him in Heaven. I closed the door with my spirits lifted and mindset changed. Of all the cab drivers that could have given me a ride that night, he did. In some way I had hit my own Ghana lottery.

Charity Begins at Home

• Aug
  24
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• 0

At Project 7 I am exposed to the most amazing people who give of themselves to a level I can only deem super human. They travel to countries I've never heard of, help people I will never meet and make an impact I can't measure. They deserve our thanks and adoration. Our blog posts are normally about these people... but not today. Today, I'm going to tell you about how charity began at home for me this weekend. No, this isn't a story about bringing water to those with none, or much needed medicine, but it is a story of how a little help can go a long way in any one's life. I've been going through a lot in life, which I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say a few tears have been shed and my big girl pants needed to come out of the closet. As a result of some of these things, I have made the decision to sell my wonderful home. I will miss it, but it has to be done. In order to do this I have to get it into fightin' shape. It is an older home and when a series of storms ripped through our area a few months ago I had some major roof issues that caused severe wall damage in a number of rooms. I have since had the walls repaired but, due to financial constraints, decided to paint the walls myself. Every night for the last month I have left work, donned my painting uniform and grabbed a roller or brush. On occasion my dog has decided to help me getting his ears or a paw in the paint bucket... actually not helpful at all. Well, after several weeks of painting I started to lose steam. It seemed like the unending pile of laundry that just won't get smaller no matter what you do. My sell date looms closer and I've started to feel overwhelmed. There was no way that little ol' me could get it all done. Enter help. Without being asked and totally as a surprise to me a girlfriend of mine took it upon herself to organize a painting brigade. Some of the people didn't even know me, but once my girlfriend shared my story and what I was looking at, they jumped at the chance to spend their Sunday helping out a stranger. The brigade showed up and painted from noon to 5 pm. It was amazing what a few extra hands accomplished. I'm still painting, have only trim and edging left to do, but this group of people helped me find the strength to finish. Now, I know this is an example of comfortable complaining. I am not going hungry, I have a roof over my head and I have my health (I also have one paint covered dog). But, this is an example of people seeing a need and stepping in to help - unsolicited and without even knowing the recipient. I am amazed by their generosity and grateful for their gift. So, I challenge you dear readers, find one person that you know needs help and do it. It doesn't matter what it is, help one person this week. Make a difference in someone's life. Do it and then tell us how you helped.

There are good people in this world.

• Aug
  16
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Some times a story comes across my desk that touches me and I just need to share it. The story might be big about changing the lives of hundreds of people, or small, touching but one individual. But, the story always moves me to smile and think, thank goodness there is still some decency left in our world. And today, one of those stories presented itself. Allow me to introduce Merrie Harris and Jay Valentine. Ad executive Harris loaned Valentine her credit card when the homeless man asked her for change and she had none. Much to the the surprise of the astonished onlookers, Valentine took the card, bought a handful of things like deodorant and bodywash (the total came to $25) and promptly returned the card to Harris. Read the full story here - This is a great example of someone helping out another human being - just because. And that human being being helped proving that they are worthy - just because. So the question is, would you loan a homeless person your credit card?

Change the Score with us – be a Project 7 Intern!

• Aug
  12
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• 1

For those of you who have enjoyed Brad the Intern's posts we are sorry to say he is no longer going to be our intern... we hired him full time! (We're currently coming up with a new "Brad the (insert word for him here)" as his new title is way too long!) So a big congrats to Brad, but this means we need a new intern. You must be available to start working full time in Southlake, TX by Thursday, September 16 at the latest. You must be available to go on a road trip – out of town – September 19-27. Compensation: $10/hour. Here are the details. Key Responsibilities include: - 7 Day Volunteer Event Support - Travel/Road trips - Communications/Social Media - Research/Brainstorming - Volunteer Outreach - Tradeshow support - Music Partner Volunteer - Festivals and special events - Office manager duties Requirements: - Must be at least 18 years of age - Must have high school diploma - Strong oral and written communication skills - Knowledge of office administration - Problem solving, interpersonal, team building, leadership & decision making skills - Attention to detail - Effective organizational and time management skills - Computer skills including working knowledge of Word and Excel - Must be able to lift 25 lbs So, what do you do if you are interested? Submit your resumé to ryan@project7.com (please cc info@project7.com just in case our spam filters get you!) Please include the following: 1. Tell us why you want to be a part of Project 7 2. Tell us about a cause you are passionate about We will schedule phone interviews for the week of September 6th, so get those applications in! Let's change the score.

What moments inspire you?

• Aug
  11
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[caption id="attachment_1781" align="alignleft" width="300" caption=""She said yes""][/caption] Game 7 of the World Series, bottom of the 9^th, 2 outs, full count.  Yeah, I would say that’s one of the biggest moments of a baseball player’s life.  Well, I am no baseball player, but I had one of these life-changing moments a few weeks ago. It was the culmination of two years of hard work.  And, this day was no walk in the park either.  As we embarked on an epic journey up Mt. Evans in Colorado, the raging storm clouds rolled in, the rain began to fall, and hail made an unwelcomed appearance.  We sought refuge in a cave on the side of the mountain while the storm rocked the mountain.  I began to sweat.  My nerves were out of control.  My mind began to race.  The one day in my life I needed sunshine and clears skies, the apocalypse decided to happen. I had been planning this day for 3 months and this action packed thunderstorm was not in the plans.  However, as the saying goes, “if you don’t like the weather in Colorado, wait 15 minutes.”  All of a sudden, the rain ceased.  The sun broke through the enormous thunderheads and illuminated the entire sky. As we headed toward the brilliant summit lake, I couldn’t help but start to get nervous.  This was my time to shine - this is what all the hard work was about.  I took a deep breath, reached into my backpack and took a knee.  I then uttered the phrase that would change my life forever, “Leslie, will you marry me?” Needless to say I hit a homerun, won the game and the entire stadium went nuts!  Brad the Intern is ENGAGED!  There are moments like these that words can’t describe. It was just a few brief seconds but the emotions contained wouldn’t fit in the great American Novel. We’ve all have had moments that take our breath away – A moment where we experienced such amazing beauty we were struck with awe.  So c’mon I shared, its your town now!