If you haven’t noticed this about me yet, I love talking to strangers. Now, I don’t mean sketchy people in dark alleys. I mean people I see in passing and at events. It is probably one of my favorite things to do of all time. Ya see, the reason I love talking to people I don’t know is because 1. I THRIVE off of social interaction and 2. I thoroughly enjoy hearing people’s stories. Specifically, I met a family recently that completely changed my perspective on meeting a new person.
My team and I recently attended the Fort Wayne Farm Show. The farm show is a place where many agriculture based businesses come to advocate for their company. During the show, the state FFA officers were put in charge of walking up to each booth, asking if they would be interested in donating any items to the Indiana FFA live auction we would be holding the two days we were there. We walked around booth to booth, asking the simple question if they would be interested in donating.
I noticed a sign that was hanging from a pole, and it had this tik tok symbol. Heck, that looks cool, let’s go check it out!
As we walked up to the table, I was greeted with smiles from a married couple and their son who was in a wheelchair. I said hello, and asked what their tik tok was all about, and the man in the wheelchair handed me a flyer with all the information I needed to know.
The mother and father started to further explain why they were there. Travis, the man in the wheelchair, was in a car accident at the age of 22. From that point on, he has suffered from brain damage, and is not able to form sentences. Since the accident, Travis and the family have started the Travis Burkhart Foundation, raising money where insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid are not present, and assisting through forms of monetary aid, food, gift cards, and information. I was blown away after hearing their story, and Indiana FFA was honored to have a sweatshirt from the foundation for both days of our live auction.
It was because of a simple hello Indiana FFA is able to thrive.
It was because of a simple hello Travis had a big smile on his face as we presented half the donations of their items back to the Burkhart Foundation.
It is because of a simple hello a new, long lasting friendship was made.
In life, it is up to us to say hello. The hello has a ripple effect. When we say hello, they say hello. Others begin to say hello. That “hello” means a lot more than just a simple word of introduction.
Just. Say. Hello.
Saying hi to strangers,
Jordyn Wickard
Tik Tok: @farming_tbidad
If you are interested in giving to the Travis Burkhart Foundation, you can donate by visiting travisburkhartfoundation.com
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