What Is 757 Uplifters About?
757 Uplifters was founded in May of 2021 with the aim to positively build communities locally and abroad, through community organizing and collective action. While “being the change”, all kinds of people come together to do positive things for people of all ages! In the beginning, 757 Uplifters was made to allow me (the creator), Roger (known to many as RJ) Wallace, to create community service events outside of my own work schedule. The scope has since grown into what it is in the present and it continues to evolve.
While there are plenty of volunteer and community service websites out there, I often found that finding opportunities that aligned with my busy work schedule was quite the challenge. In working to become my own community organizer/leader, I would have greater flexibility to reach out to organizations of my choosing, while also building something wonderful from scratch.
At present, 757 Uplifters has done a wide assortment of different events that have raised money for different charities, as well as done events to clean the environment, partner with/assist other organizations (Keep Norfolk Beautiful, Edmarc, etc.), meet with and do wonderful activities with those dealing with social anxiety, bring joy to hospitalized children, and more!
Life is so much bigger than us, as individuals. It is true that we do need to prioritize self, but I feel that much of the self-discovery and/or growth we experience comes from others, directly and/or indirectly. In order to help self, help others. In meeting so many wonderful people in my travels and learning of others through word of mouth (which eventually led to 757 Uplifters sending joy all the way to Western Australia), I’ve learned that many people love to give or help and experience growth in the process, as I have!
In March of 2023, 757 Uplifters was recognized by the Central Library in the city of Chesapeake during Staff Day, for having people from all kinds of walks of life, young and old, engage peers and work towards positive activism! As I continue to work on “being the change”, I think it is important to acknowledge that even the “simplest” of good and love put out into the world is not easy. Around April of 2023, I also joined “JustServe“, and you can find 757 Uplifters on the JustServe website as well.
I’ve met a lot of people with social anxiety, and I know from experience as well — it is sometimes hard to just show up. Part of doing 757 Uplifters and leading it was for me to becoming more comfortable with myself, and seeing people contribute, in spite of their own personal challenges, warms my heart! My hope is that 757 Uplifters continues to positively impact others, expands with more activities to impact more people, and continues to improve the lives of not just the people in the communities, but the lives of those who volunteer and serve others as well. Currently, 757 Uplifters has a 4.9 out of 5 stars with over 100 5 star reviews!
You have a message that only you can share to people that can only hear it from you…
Arvee Robinson
IMAGE GALLERY (Click to enlarge)
