8 Life Goals Focused On Giving Back to the Community
Unlock the secrets to building a stronger community with actionable strategies from leading experts across various fields. Discover how sustainable farming, educational initiatives, and pro bono services are revolutionizing grassroots movements. This article dives deep into innovative approaches that are not only giving back to the community but also setting a new standard for philanthropy.
- Growing Communities Through Sustainable Farming
- Empowering Youth with Free Chess Education
- Offering Free Writing Workshops to Nonprofits
- Providing Pro Bono Legal Services to Veterans
- Leveraging Business Resources for Community Support
- Creating Sustainable Pet Adoption Program
- Planting Trees to Balance Tech Career
- Bridging Digital Divide for Small Businesses
Growing Communities Through Sustainable Farming
One life goal? Easy. Giving back through Growing to Give--and never doing it alone.
If you've ever read one of my articles (or made the mistake of asking me one question about farming), you already know I believe food can heal people, places, and entire systems. My life's work is growing things--gardens, communities, and future leaders who aren't afraid to get dirt under their nails.
Growing to Give started with a wild idea and a whole lot of hope: utilize high-yield, low-water, low-labor farm systems that anyone can manage, anywhere. That includes places where climate, poverty, or politics say otherwise. Now we've got tomatoes erupting as if from a volcano, spiraled gardens, and irrigation systems that save water anywhere. And while the systems are powerful, the impact is personal.
Like the little girl who pulled a carrot out of the dirt for the first time and looked up like she'd just uncovered a buried diamond. That moment! I was that little girl once, carrot in hand, wide-eyed, tasting something real. Bugs Bunny gold! That's why I do this. Not for the produce, but for the power it gives back to people.
Then came Phoenix Food Forest (PFF), born from a messy, beautiful, unstructured idea Christopher Macy had one day at the start of the pandemic: What if we turned forgotten street verges into free food forests? What if neighbors could walk out their front door and pick a peach? What if kids played under trees that nourished them? It started scrappy. It still is. But it's now the largest food forest in the nation--and it's only just beginning.
What motivates me to keep going? Legacy. Not the kind that puts your name on a bench, but the kind that plants seeds for people you may never meet. And the best way to do that? Mentor someone coming up after you. That's why I'm walking side-by-side with Christopher at PFF, watching him grow into a leader with his own vision, his own fire, and his own big, messy ideas that are already blooming into something real.
So my advice?
Start messy. Plant anyway. Your garden doesn't have to look like anyone else's, it just has to grow something that matters. Show up. Dig in. Feed people. And most importantly: lift someone up as you go.
That's how we change the world. Not in one big moment, but in a million quiet harvests.
Empowering Youth with Free Chess Education
One life goal I'm actively working toward is providing free chess education and training to underprivileged kids in my community. Chess changed my life by teaching me patience, strategic thinking, and resilience--qualities that deeply influenced my career and personal growth. I believe every child, regardless of their background, deserves access to tools that build confidence and critical thinking.
I started by dedicating time each month at ChessEasy Academy to host free chess workshops for local schools and community groups. Seeing kids who never thought they'd enjoy chess suddenly gain confidence and joy from the game motivates me tremendously.
If you're seeking to make a difference, my advice is simple: start small and start local. Find something you're genuinely passionate about, and then reach out to nearby schools, community centers, or local organizations. Offer your skills or resources in a manageable way at first, and you'll quickly see the ripple effect it can create.
Real impact doesn't always require grand gestures; often, small, consistent acts of generosity matter most.
Offering Free Writing Workshops to Nonprofits
One life goal I'm really focused on right now is using Write Right to give back to the community. I'm working on offering free writing workshops and content creation services to nonprofits and organizations that may not have the resources to access high-quality communication support. What drives me is knowing how powerful words can be in making a difference, especially when it comes to spreading important messages or advocating for a cause.
It's truly rewarding to help others find their voice and tell their stories in a way that connects with their audience. For anyone looking to make a difference, I'd say don't overthink it—start with something small, something you're passionate about, and you'll see how it all adds up. Even a little effort can have a big impact when it's aligned with what matters most to you.
Providing Pro Bono Legal Services to Veterans
Giving Back Through My Personal Brand
One way I've used my personal brand to give back to my community is by offering pro bono legal services to veterans and their families. As someone who works closely with the veteran community through my business, I've seen firsthand the struggles they face, both legally and emotionally, as they transition to civilian life. By leveraging my platform and expertise, I've been able to provide free legal consultations and advocacy, particularly in areas like employment law, housing disputes, and disability rights. This aligns with my core values of service and advocacy for those who have served our country.
Impact and Results
The impact has been meaningful, not just for the individuals I've helped but also for my community at large. I've seen veterans gain the confidence and legal support they need to fight for their rights, leading to improved job stability and access to benefits. Additionally, sharing these stories and outcomes through my personal brand has helped raise awareness about the legal challenges veterans face, inspiring others to get involved in supporting them. By giving back, I've been able to align my professional goals with my personal values, creating a stronger connection with my clients and making a tangible difference in the lives of those who have served.
Leveraging Business Resources for Community Support
One life goal I prioritize is always being helpful. As a business owner, I know that there are certain resources I have access to that others might not, so I think about ways I can help to change that. Years ago, I updated my business model to partner up with some local nonprofit initiatives and use my company resources to help them out with more than just charitable donations. Whether it be offering our office space to these organizations so they can host things like fundraisers and community networking events, or simply having a team volunteer day where we go together to help an organization out with key needs, there are so many ways we can help make a difference in our own community. I believe it's important to utilize available resources to help. What motivates me to do these things is gratitude. I'm grateful for having the opportunities I have and want to be able to share them with the community to help elevate and change lives. I would advise anyone seeking to make a difference to keep in mind that there are so many local organizations that could always use your help, so keep an eye out for these types of opportunities because you never know whose lives you could help to change.
Creating Sustainable Pet Adoption Program
One of the life goals I'm working toward is creating a sustainable pet adoption program that connects pets with people in need of companionship while ensuring the pets are in the right environment. I've seen how much pets can improve lives, and my goal is to reduce the number of pets in shelters by helping them find forever homes. This initiative is important to me because I've noticed firsthand how fulfilling it is to provide a solution to a problem I feel passionate about. My advice for anyone looking to make a difference is to start small but consistently work toward your goal. Every step counts, and it's the persistent effort that makes the biggest impact. If you have more questions about my journey or how I got started, feel free to reach out.
Planting Trees to Balance Tech Career
As someone who's spent a life working in tech making software, I plant trees to help carbon capture and to produce food (aka food forests). It might seem like a juxtaposition to be writing code on my workdays and planting trees on the weekend - but actually, they're really compatible.
About a decade ago, I was burning out working on several businesses at once. I would write code at all hours of the day, pounding coffee, and making good money. At the same time, I was reading a lot of Chomsky and other works. I was in a depression, despite the success, and I was really wiping myself out.
It got quite bad, I got quite ill; but I learned from that that I must balance my 'work' on a computer with stuff in real life. What's more, the world needs good deeds. For me, I found that I could make a positive impact on the world and balance the abstract aspects of my work by planting lots of trees.
I've since planted 3 food forests, and this winter I will plant 12,000 native trees on my new piece of land. It feels great to contribute to the local community and the natural world. My life goal is to plant 1 million trees.
Bridging Digital Divide for Small Businesses
One life goal I am actively working toward is helping bridge the digital divide for small businesses and entrepreneurs who lack access to the right technology. At Zapiy.com, we believe that automation and digital tools should be accessible to everyone, not just large enterprises with big budgets. This belief has driven us to create initiatives that provide free educational resources, workshops, and mentorship to small business owners who are looking to streamline their operations but don't know where to start.
What motivates me is seeing firsthand how the right technology can completely transform a business, allowing owners to spend less time on tedious tasks and more time focusing on growth and innovation. When a small business thrives, it strengthens the entire community by creating jobs and opportunities. I see this work as a way to give back, knowing that empowering just one entrepreneur can have a ripple effect that benefits many.
For anyone seeking to make a difference, my advice is to start small but be consistent. Making an impact doesn't always require massive donations or large-scale initiatives--it can be as simple as sharing knowledge, mentoring someone, or providing a resource that helps others succeed. The key is to align your efforts with your strengths and passions so that your contributions are both meaningful and sustainable. When you find a way to give back that feels natural to you, the impact will follow.
