By SUE ELLEN ROSS

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – Helping others can cover the gamut from assisting customers in your business to lending a volunteer hand in the community.

Melynie Wright combines both in her daily life.

As manager of A Storage Inn, a local self-store facility, she considers her job an opportunity to help others in their transitional situations. “We are like family,” she said of her customers. “No one is a stranger.”

That caring attitude has taken the LaPlace resident far in her life. Literally.

Wright’s management career has covered positions in many states outside Louisiana. In addition to living in Texas and Ohio, she also traveled to the Dominican Republic with a volunteer group from the United States. But no matter where she lived, the LaPlace resident always found somewhere to aid in a community fundraising effort.

In addition to spear-heading a holiday food drive this year, to benefit local families, Wright also took it upon herself to contact administration at the Twin Oaks nursing home regarding gifts for the patients.

Twin Oaks always makes sure each resident is given a present at the annual holiday party, but Wright wanted to go one step further. She found out which residents did not have family and/or wouldn’t be receiving any special holiday gifts. She went shopping especially for them, buying items such as blankets and personal items.

Whether its on the job, or on the road promoting another fundraiser, this concerned lady will continue her empathy toward her fellow human beings. And she won’t wait until the holiday season to let them know she cares.

“Giving is a spirit you feel all year long,” she said. “It’s a great way to find a purpose. You’re meeting people and you learn about yourself.”

She added that the rewards of giving to others are non-monetary, but, “by far, richer than money can define.”

She added that The Golden Rule is simple – but very, very important. “If you make someone smile once a day, you have made a difference,” she said.