Wrong Turn Leads to the Right Opportunity for a Volunteer

What started as a detour, turning left where he should have turned right, may have been the best mistake of Darrick Kimbrough’s life.

Lost and looking for directions, Kimbrough stumbled into a building, and then accidentally into a meeting. That meeting turned out to be the first of many. Taking place almost eight years ago, he has been volunteering with HandsOn Broward ever since.

While Kimbrough was lucky to find an outlet like HandsOn Broward, which inspires, equips and mobilizes people to create change in their community, HandsOn Broward are the fortunate ones to find a volunteer as dedicated and committed as Kimbrough. Whether it’s a toy drive to provide gifts for children during the holidays, or a food drive to help out the hungry, Kimbrough plays a significant part in shaping the Broward community.

One of the proudest moments in all his volunteer endeavors came while working to better Haiti. Following the devastation of a catastrophic hurricane in 2010, Kimbrough helped provide care packages for the thousands of Haitians that were displaced.

Working 65 hours a week, one may wonder how Kimbrough still finds time to volunteer. Retired from Army Special Forces, the Gulf War veteran has learned many things from his stint in the military. One of which is time management.

“It’s not always about how much time you have, but what you do with the time you have,” said Kimbrough. “My work takes a lot of time, effort and energy, but still, thanks to the military, I know how to manage my time and still find ways to give back.”

Kimbrough volunteers because it is truly at the core of who he is. Though the last thing he would want is recognition, it is his actions that continue to change the community for the better.