A Heart 2 Help & Brian Coleman’s Vision to Reshape Community and Giving

Hessie Jones 

OK, so tell me a little bit about Brian Coleman and hard to help. 

Brian Coleman 

Wow, Brian Coleman. I am the founder of a heart to help my heart. To help was actually created in 2022. Actually, the idea was on Christmas Day, quick background. I work in healthcare. I worked in healthcare for about 33 years. So I’ve always pretty much been in a space of being a part of a team, helping people and being able to be empathetic, shared compassion and things like that, and so on Christmas Day, or I guess about a week before Christmas, was just looking for volunteer opportunities because I just felt super blessed in my life. Didn’t really need anything, didn’t really want anything, and I kind of felt like that after COVID, you know, everyone sort of went back into their own little bubble. And so for me, I was just in the space where I really wanted to help. And so was looking for opportunities. But because of my schedule, wasn’t able to really find anything, which was it’s good in a way, because that means that there were a lot of people out volunteering and helping. And so on Christmas Day, nothing fell through and was just sort of in just sort of sad and was just thinking as I was going to my brother in Law’s house. Driving through the neighborhood and saw homes of people I didn’t know who were. In the. House and just thought like maybe there’s an elderly couple that’s in there that you know is alone, you know, don’t have any family around and just wish that they could have a home cooked meal. Or maybe there’s a family in my in my neighborhood that didn’t know about the toy drive. So now their kids. Don’t have toys for Christmas and it just kept going on and on. And then I just thought, well, what if there was a way to connect people if there was some sort of app or something that a person could post a need? People see it and there was no doubt that if people knew like what the need was, who had the need, where it was, that they would definitely step in and help. And then that’s pretty much where hard to help started. 

Hessie Jones 

That’s. So how many years have you been doing this and tell me about maybe some examples of how. You’ve made an impact in your company. 

Brian Coleman 

It just pretty much launched a few days ago. It’s in the both stores, the apple and the Google Store. We did a soft launch and was able to gain 5000 downloads and ways that we were able to help. There was a gentleman in Pakistan actually that had reached out and it was before the app had launched and he was just really, really in need of an electric wheelchair. And so he started sending me messages and I told him. That the app. Was just getting going. He could post it on there but wasn’t really sure what type of response that he would receive. He he was telling me he had been a quadriplegic for 35 years. He had just recently got married a couple years ago and I guess in his culture his wife wasn’t able to push him around, so he always had to have a male push him around. So he felt like he never really had complete privacy with his wife. He sort of felt less than. And he just wanted some independence and I. He did tell through his messages that there was just this desperation for, you know, for wheelchair, and he had went back to school, he got his Masters degree, he was tutor, he was all of these things, but still couldn’t afford to get this chair. And we were able to get the chair for him. It was delivered. He sent us a beautiful message. Just saying how his life was changed by getting his wheelchair and that he has freedom and that he feels better and his soul. And to me that’s that’s truly what a heart to help with is is about. 

Hessie Jones 

So what kind of partnerships have you developed in order to make some of these peoples dreams come true? I’m I’m sure it’s been it. It takes a village to be able to do. 

Brian Coleman 

That takes a village right now it’s it’s pretty much bootstrap, self funded and so getting that wheelchair was something that. It. That basically came out of my pocket, but. I just felt that that he truly, truly was a sincere person that truly, truly needed it. And so that was pretty much like the the first time to show that, like, wow, this really works. We’re starting to partner with a few different organizations, one being called Olive Press they. Are sort of the bridge between families that are going through hard times and instead of putting them in the system of children, they actually have different families that are sort of like that in between. And so this organization needs things because there could be families that all of a sudden have two teenagers. And so they will post on our site that they may need a bike, they may need clothes, they may need shoes. And so that’ll actually be able will be a resource for them. And then there’s another organization called Food on foot that we’re getting ready to partner with as well. And that’s the same thing. We want to pretty much align ourselves with all of the. Nonprofits because. Because we feel like that they’re doing amazing things. And so our goal is for them to be able to post, you know, for their population, but then also they have needs. So if it’s a homeless shelter or a food bank there, they would be able to post on a heart to help, basically saying that, hey, we need water donations we need. Canned goods you know and things like that, so that will be that sort of resource for them as well. 

Hessie jones 

OK, so from your perspective though, because when you’re partnering with nonprofits? Would it make sense to also partner like with with the profit for profit organizations who, let’s say, like grocery stores that at the end of the day dispense the food that’s still very good, but they can’t put it back on the shelves or places? That have clothing and or other consumer goods that they typically may give to, let’s say, a Walmart, not a Walmart. Like winners or some of those secondary retail places, and instead they could give it to heart to help. 

Brian Coleman 

Exactly. And. And that’s what we’re we’re truly truly hoping for. You know, just because right now it’s it’s it’s pretty much myself and and really trying to to get it going has been hasn’t really been a. The challenge in the sense of like I know that the opportunities are there. I just think that it’s more of. Just getting the word spread and there’s many people that are out there spreading the message of a heart to help them. What we’re trying to do will allow us to be able to get in contact with a lot of those organizations and nonprofits because at the end of the day, we just want to help and. And we believe that we believe in our mission. And as far as people helping people. And we realize that once these organizations realize that what we’re trying to do, I do believe that they will partner more with us with that. 

Hessie Jones 

So how long have you actually been has started this initiative? I know the app just launched, but you’ve been doing this for some time. You’ve been thinking about it. Is this your 100% focus or what do you, what else? Are you doing? 

Brian Coleman 

It’s it’s been about a year total from when I started really working on it, which was basically last June. And so to till June now. So it’s been a full year from the app development and to actually getting the the app launched. Actually I still work. Two full time jobs and. You know, just to keep it going, you know, step by step in a sense and but yeah, I just. I just, yeah, I still work and that’s. But it is my primary focus in the sense of it’s what I want to do like working in healthcare has definitely been a passion like it is amazing to be a part of someone’s care. Very, very humbling, but also what I’ve realized with the a heart to help is that this is truly, truly, truly my purpose and I feel. It I think about it every day I live it, I breathe it. I love talking about it and I love to see just the smiles of when people light up, when they hear about it. 

Hessie Jones 

It’s it that’s quite a journey for you. That’s quite so. Have you been influenced by anybody in the in your journey to actually get to where you’re you are today? 

Brian Coleman 

I would say my mother for sure. I mean, I’ve been blessed. I’ve had, you know, support system around me. But there’s one situation that that sort of stood out to me and that’s when my mother and father got divorced when I was fairly young. So my mom was a single parent. My father’s always been in the picture. It’s my best friend. Love him. And but I just remember we were living in the suburbs and my mom was doing the best that she could. And as kids, you know, we just really didn’t have a care in the world. We didn’t think about. You know, leaving doors open. We didn’t think about the AC being on all day or leaving TV’s on. And I remember this particular day, I I was probably closer to 10 years old, 10 or 11. And I was downstairs watching TV and all of a sudden I heard something. And so we turned the TV down and me and my sister. Just sort of crawled upstairs to kind of see because we can tell who’s coming from upstairs and we snuck upstairs and as soon as I like, looked, I just remember seeing my mother on the bed with a bunch of bills around her, and she was just falling crying. And it it was a moment that was so eye opening that it probably changed the course of my life. Because. For me, that was the ultimate show of kindness and grace, you know? Yes, that’s my mother. And you know her? I guess people could say her job is to provide, but that was truly. You know, being kind and and doing as much as you can without knowing that you’re not going to get anything in return in a sense, in that moment probably changed my life up until now. 

Hessie Jones 

Yeah. I find that because I’m a I’m a child of immigrants as well, and you know you don’t realize the sacrifice that your parents make to put food on the table, and half the time, I think that the moment that you saw your mom break down was probably a moment that she would love to hide. Because they parents, I think in general don’t want to, don’t want to show that they’re not strong, that they’re that they got it like they want to show you a different face and maybe that vulnerability helped. You know, change you and push you in a different direction. 

Brian Coleman 

Right, definitely cause in that moment and looking back on it now because she didn’t even know that I saw her in that moment until I was an adult. When I finally shared that, I saw her in that moment. But at the time, I felt like looking back on it now that. You know, she probably could have used some help and you know, for me, I’ve been in that situation of despair where you don’t know where to go. You know who to turn to and and what. Do and and so hopefully with with the heart to help. It’s going to be more than just sort of that in person help and and my goal is to change what the word help means because I feel like that there’s such a stigma attached to the word help that the minute someone says that they need help, it’s well, how did you get in this situation? They look down at that person instead of just lifting them up and saying. So what can I do to help you? And so for me, I want people to understand that we can all use a helping hand and so it could be mentoring. Tutoring, career advice, listening ear. It can be. It can really make that difference where you know someone reaches out. And I actually, I had a gentleman that reached out and this was way before the app launched and he was in Pennsylvania and he had got kicked out of a shelter. And so he was telling me the story and he was leaving me like these. Wrong messages, so I responded, left me a long message again and so I just finally gave him my number and was just like just called me. And so he talked and talked and all he really needed was a listening ear. That was it. He just wanted to vent. He. And I’m in California. He’s in Pennsylvania. And you know, I told him. I said here’s my number. You can call me anytime if you ever need to talk or whatever. And so to me, that’s what it’s truly about is that we’re just, you know, meeting people where they are and just really trying to help because we can all be. In that position. 

Hessie Jones 

You know, so how big is your community? And 2nd to that. Like, where do you see your organization going in? Let’s say five years. 

Brian Coleman 

Yeah, basically it’s it’s still small because it launched. We probably right now have like 35 to 40 posts in there. People that are offering services and help and donations and then also people that are requesting some sort of assistance in five years. I I truly feel like that hard to help would be known. As the platform for help and and bringing people together and then also just a platform of spreading kindness to each other. The one thing that I feel like the world really lacks is kindness, empathy, and compassion, and hopefully we can on our app. There’s no judgment. We want people to feel comfortable being able to come and ask for assistance because again, you just never know when you’re going to be. On the other side of that, so. 

Hessie Jones 

I wish you luck and I’d love to be able to keep in touch with you to see how things are going.