Dawn Carpenter and The We Project

Over the past few years, I’ve used the Uncorking a Story platform to highlight the work of authors, comedians, and entrepreneurs. I’ve become increasingly interested in uncorking the stories of people who are doing inspiring work in their local communities and that brings me to this current episode featuring Dawn Carpenter of The We Project, a non-profit organization that helps feed, clothe, and mentor needy people in Northern New Jersey.

This past summer, I interviewed Dawn’s husband Derrick for my “day job” as a focus group moderator/user experience researcher. While asking him some warm-up questions to build rapport, I learned that Derrick and his wife run a food rescue organization in Northern New Jersey and he briefly shared with me that the organization was inspired from a tragedy. I wanted to dig into this a little more, but I wasn’t being paid by my client to uncover a human interest story and had to begin asking a series of questions on his use of voice activated mobile assistants.

After our session ended, though, I asked Derrick if I could recontact him to learn more about The We Project and he put me in touch with his wife Dawn, who recently shared her story with me. It is a powerful one that underscores three lessons I’ve learned while doing this podcast.

Something beautiful can arise from something tragic. You will understand what this means when you hear the story of Dawn’s brother, one of the driving forces behind The We Project. The importance of asking for help. Dawn states very clearly that if you don’t let people know what your needs are, they will never be met. This one really hit home for me, as you will learn in my introduction to this episode. The importance of putting thoughts into action. A lot of people can dream up ideas, but the ability to put them into action is what separates doers from dreamers. Dawn and her husband Derrick are definitely doers, and I hope you are as inspired by their story as I am.