Negativity and selfishness gets great publicity in our social networking, indirect-contact society. You’d be led to believe the world’s running low on good people and that no one cares for or respects one another anymore. Their only concerns are themselves; and when they’re in need, no one is willing to lend them a hand without reward.
This is not the case. Kind, caring, selflessly-generous people still exist. Fallon Moore is a shining example.
An attorney, community leader, and social equality enthusiast, Fallon is the founder of Alternate Legal Services. A business lawyer for creatives – entertainers and entrepreneurs, Fallon’s firm is where law meets lifestyle.
While attending University of Detroit Mercy Law School, Fallon, as a member of the Black Law Student Association, was influential in creating initiatives that strengthened communities and educated and empowered minority youth in the Detroit area.
While good at what she does, she’s also a good person and one who believes in helping others.
I asked Attorney Fallon Moore to tell me about a time when she did something nice for someone that she didn’t know. Here’s what she shared.
“Before I became a lawyer I was a social worker for the State of Michigan for about 10 years.
I didn’t do child protective services where you go out and assess the home, the environment, and that sort of thing. My job was to issue the Medicade and the food stamps, the food benefits, and that sort of thing.
I processed the applications, you would come in to me for an interview, and, most often, we’re talking about one of the most vulnerable sections of our community. The most hard-hit.
This one young lady comes in and she has 4 or 5 kids with her. She was applying for food assistance. Even if approved everything that day, the soonest she would get her benefit card and get her money would be about 10 days.
As I’m explaining the process to her, she immediately starts crying. She says, ‘I have my kids with me and we literally have nothing to eat.’
Our protocol as social workers was to refer clients to food banks and food pantries. You simply give them a form and tell them here’s the food pantries; you can try calling them, or you can go there, whatever the case may be. She’d already told me she was taking the bus with these little kids. Two were in a stroller, and a couple she was holding their hands.
So, I could not stand up to get her that paper. I just couldn’t do it. She’d already told she had absolutely nothing to feed those kids. It was totally against policy, but I went to my desk, I got $50 out of my purse, I brought her the $50 and I gave her my phone number.
I said, ‘Listen, this is totally off the record because what I’m doing right now will get me thrown out of here. So, you can’t mention this. Take this $50 and take them babies to get something to eat. And if by chance you don’t have your card, don’t go buying McDonald’s because you need to make the money stretch. Get you some groceries or whatever you need to do to get by in the interim while you’re waiting on your card.’
The young lady was just crying and crying. I started tearing up! I told her this is my cell phone number and to call me if she didn’t get her card and I will make sure that you’re all okay until you get your card.
She called me a few days later. I was expecting her to say the card didn’t come and that she needed more money. But she did no such a thing.
She thanked me! She said that she found a job!
She took a couple dollars of that money and took the bus to an interview, she got the job, and she was trying to pay me the $50 dollars back!
I didn’t take it.” |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
“We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.” – ‘We Are the World’
