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DEL.ICIO.USHelping someone can be simple
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They met at Bally Total Fitness.
Ray Rook works out at the Norcross gym. Michael Hyler worked there as a porter. Sometimes the two would chat.
Rook, a retired IRS branch chief, was impressed with the 19-year-old Hyler. His work ethic. His mannerisms. This affable young man, Rook surmised, could do better. He told him so.
Last fall, Rook stopped by the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Lilburn to buy some shaving lotion. He struck up a conversation with an assistant manager. He told him about Hyler, a hard worker stuck in a dead-end job.
“He said, ‘Send him to me,’ ” Rook said.
Hyler dropped by, filled out an application and took a drug test. He got hired five months ago and works in the warehouse. He’s since gotten a raise and a promotion. He’s eyeing management, possibly as an assistant manager of a department.
Chalk it up to personal initiative — his and Rook’s.
“If he doesn’t come by the store, he’ll call me or I will call him,” said Hyler, a Chicagoan who lives in Lawrenceville with his mom. “Every time I talk to him or see him, I tell him thanks for helping out.”
Rook was 17 when he got his first job. He worked as a clerk with the War Department. It was 1945. A female supervisor showed him the ropes, ensured that he didn’t fail. Other bosses and supervisors did likewise during stints with the North Carolina National Guard, followed by decades with the IRS.
According to Wikipedia, the phrase “pay it forward” first appeared in Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel, “Pay It Forward.” Warner Brothers made a movie that carried the same name. As a philosophy, it generally means exhibiting a desire to help others because you, at some point, have or will receive help.
Rook, now 78 and retired since 1983, is paying it forward.
“I would like to see Mike advance and have a successful career that would make his mother and family proud,” he told me via e-mail. “I hope that, once this happens, he will develop into a mature man who will someday help someone else get a good start in life.”
Rook contacted me after my column on George Brown ran Thursday. I wrote about Brown, whom I spotted soliciting work in the parking lot of the Dunkin’ Donuts on Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
In Gwinnett, we have some good souls who want to pay it forward. They want to help Brown, a total stranger, regardless of color or how he got in his current fix. A Lawrenceville man has offered free rent. A business owner who may have a full-time position for Brown asked that I have Brown contact him. Other readers have asked me to pass on the names of agencies and nonprofits that offer aid.
In his e-mail, Rook explained how simple it had been to help Hyler. All he did was pass the young man’s name on to a potential employer.
“Just maybe you can do the same for this gentleman,” he suggested.
Maybe I have.
• Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875. Or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
Comments
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By LB
April 29, 2006 05:51 PM | Link to this
I had a series of good paying sales jobs and used the money to renovate my house. The money was great but the job stability was not what I was comfortable with. I quickly learned that sales jobs were too “dog eat dog”. They hired people to garner new accounts then made it where you couldn’t meet quota, kept your accounts and ousted them. I found others were stealing sales and customers from me and I was doing the same to them.
After being terminated once again for lack of meeting my huge quota I received several calls from companies that wanted me to bring my account list and sell for them. After going through this several times I realized money was not everything.
I am now a part time substitute teacher and I get paid much more than I ever earned in sales. I can never learn the names of most students because I am never in one place long enough. I never raise my voice but sometimes I have to lose my smile and be serious to gain respect. I give a smile, a compliment and respect to all classes and students. I love people and I enjoy life. I am nothing more or less than just who I am. I am very aware of the trouble makers who are the ones in need of the most love. I make it a point to notice a positive contribution they make and let them know I like what they contribute. My payment from them is priceless. They know my name even if I don’t know theirs. People who pout will stop pouting long enough to smile and wave at me. They call me by name, come by my room, approach me in the hall, give me hugs and are really excited to see me. All I did was just be myself. My renovations have come to a halt because I don’t make many $$$ but my heart has expanded large enough to be kind to every child or teen. After all, these people are our future doctors, lawyers and politicians.
By DonnaW.
April 29, 2006 07:33 PM | Link to this
I have a friend that has been down on her luck so to speak for the last three years now. Back in July she fell and broke her wrist in two places, but because she had NO insurance. she wasn’t treated fairly by the doctor and his new assistant. The cast wasn’t put on properly therefor her wrist didn’t mend right. She has been out of work ever since, for almost a year now. I have tried feveriously to find help for her but to no avail! If she was a lazy person it would be different but she is a hard worker and can’t seem to find a brake at all. Is there anyone out there that really cares about someone in genuine need?