Do For One

11/13/2025

Who is Lead For One for?

Cohort members have included: social workers, special-ed teachers, parents, faith leaders, direct support workers, end-of-life care practitioners, and nursing home events coordinators—
but it’s not limited to human service professionals.

It’s for people with a particular heart, calling, and gifting toward belonging and growth for our isolated neighbors through the power of personal relationships, which has extended to musicians, artists, engineers, group home residents, construction workers, and more.

We’ve trained a core of 38 relationship-building practitioners and supporters in NYC and has even inspired and supported new programs beyond NYC, creating a multiplying effect.

“This journey has changed my perspective. I see now that healing begins with connection.”
— Mimi Weinstein, NYC

“Do For One provided a template to accomplish exactly what we felt God was calling us to do.”
— Matt Mooney, 99 Balloons (AR)

“Lead For One equipped us to start creating matches within our own community.”
— Jeanne Eaves, Two-Fives (IN)

Lead For One offers a workable alternative for those who sense that “what is, shouldn’t be the way it is.”

As Henri Nouwen wrote:
“Everywhere we see restless and nervous people, unable to concentrate and often suffering from a growing sense of depression. They know that what is shouldn’t be the way it is, but they see no workable alternative.”

Lead For One helps you find—and live— that alternative.

        

11/13/2025

Who is Lead For One for?

Cohort members have included: social workers, special-ed teachers, parents, faith leaders, direct support workers, end-of-life care practitioners, and nursing home events coordinators
but it’s not limited to human service professionals.

It’s for people with a particular heart, calling, and gifting toward belonging and growth for our isolated neighbors through the power of personal relationships, which has extended to musicians, artists, engineers, group home residents, construction workers, and more.

We’ve trained a core of 38 relationship-building practitioners and supporters in NYC and has even inspired and supported new programs beyond NYC, creating a multiplying effect.

“This journey has changed my perspective. I see now that healing begins with connection.”
— Mimi Weinstein, NYC

“Do For One provided a template to accomplish exactly what we felt God was calling us to do.”
— Matt Mooney, 99 Balloons (AR)

“Lead For One equipped us to start creating matches within our own community.”
— Jeanne Eaves, Two-Fives (IN)

Lead For One offers a workable alternative for those who sense that “what is, shouldn’t be the way it is.”

As Henri Nouwen wrote:

“Everywhere we see restless and nervous people, unable to concentrate and often suffering from a growing sense of depression. They know that what is shouldn’t be the way it is, but they see no workable alternative.”

Lead For One helps you find (and importantly: live) that alternative.

11/11/2025

Are you someone who senses that what is, shouldn’t be the way it is—but aren’t sure what a better way looks like?

Lead For One is for those called to bridge divides, build relationships, and lead change through love and belonging.

Join a community of doers, dreamers, and builders of belonging.

⠀
✨ 2026 applications are now open — link in bio



11/06/2025

WHAT IS LEAD FOR ONE?

Lead For One (LFO) is a leadership-level course and learning community that equips people to build lasting relationships across societal barriers and lead social change.

When isolation rises and social divides deepen, people with disabilities—and others pushed to the margins—bear the brunt of these realities and often struggle to find a way forward.

LFO invites you into a movement rooted in moral clarity and restorative action, drawing from more than a decade of lived wisdom in building relationships that bridge divides and restore community.

You’ll gain practical tools and a framework for leading change grounded in moral imagination and love.

Still deciding? Join us for one of our Table Conversations to meet alumni and learn more. Link in bio.

11/04/2025

Pictured here is our 2025 Lead For One cohort!

Lead For One was created with the vision that relationship-building doesn’t have to be confined to one program alone. It can ripple outward through collaboration and shared learning. Within this cohort are leaders from local congregations and community initiatives, all seeking to address issues of social isolation through relationship-building.

This curriculum challenges us to ask the hard questions about what relational leadership requires of us—especially in uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing times. In seasons like these, we need unchanging principles and clearly articulated values to keep us on mission toward human flourishing.

That’s what Lead For One offers: practical tools, a supportive community, and a framework for leading change grounded in moral imagination and love. The course integrates theology, social theory, philosophy, and tested practice—culminating in twelve key concepts known as The Three-Four-Five Blueprint.

As this year’s cohort wraps up, we’re already preparing for what’s ahead in 2026!

📘 Learn more → link in bio

10/30/2025

We are up to something NEW in 2026!

WHAT INSPIRED LEAD FOR ONE?

What inspired Lead For One is the same story that inspired Do For One. It’s a continuation of the same evolving story which started with one relationship. And then another, and another, and another.

Full story link from our founder Andrew Oliver in bio

Building on that foundation, we are expanding our mission through Lead For One—a program that teaches Do For One’s blueprint for relationship-building.

The vision behind this initiative is simple: the kind of enduring friendships Do For One helps form between people with and without disabilities doesn’t have to be confined to our program alone, but can also be done through collaboration.

Through Lead For One, leaders are equipped with practical wisdom for relationship-building and strengthened by the encouragement of a community walking the same path.

Link to course details and full video in bio
Learn more at doforone.org/leadforone

10/27/2025

🎉 Chantel (Advocate) threw a huge birthday party for her Partner, Michele (who turns 50 in November) and for Michele’s mom, who turned 76 earlier this month!

This story is truly one for the books—one of those friendships that has expanded what we ever thought possible and helped shape the heart of Do For One over the past 10 years.

What began as simple connections at early Do For One gatherings has grown into a bond that has become family. Before meeting Chantel, Michele and Marion had only each other and now their world has expanded as witnessed in these pictures!

What else can we say except quote Chantel herself who says:

“I don’t just love. I love going 90 MPH.” 💛

10/14/2025

✨ Lesson 5: Foster a Moral Imagination

In the beginning of Do For One, when we had no examples of one-to-one, freely given relationships across differences, we were up against all sorts of naysayers: “Not in New York,” some said, or “Only professionals know how to help.”

This means having the ability to envision the world as it ought to be. A world with more friendships across differences, where we truly see one another as fellow image bearers, and then to act on that imagination.

A moral imagination knows it’s not enough to simply delight in the vision as an idea; we must take it as a conviction that moves us toward action.

The societal barriers that keep us apart are many and always shifting and so this takes ongoing and adaptive creativity. With persistence, over and over, we see everyday people finding ways to see one another eye to eye.

That’s the case for Sarah and Laura.

Sarah (Advocate, left) and Laura (Partner, right) are neighbors, living only five blocks apart. Just a couple weeks ago, they went to the Slime Museum together, and Sarah said it was great.

One of their first connection points was a shared love for dogs, swipe to see Laura with Sarah’s dog, Gilbert.

Over the past year, they’ve enjoyed taking Gilbert for walks in the park, baking cookies at Sarah’s home, exploring Koreatown, and getting frozen yogurt together.

Laura says:

“Sarah is not only a mentor to me, but also a friend. She’s helping me learn budgeting, and she’s been really helpful with that. She has the best energy, and I love spending time with her!”

10/08/2025

🌟 Five Lessons from 10 Years of Do For One. Drawn from the wisdom of our Advocates, Partners, and the journey of building this community.

1. Better to do the right thing badly than the wrong thing well�

2. Ask: What’s the next doable step?�

3. People are your greatest asset�

4. Don’t be perfect, be persistent�

5. Coming soon…

✨ Lesson 4: Don’t be perfect, be persistent.

In Do For One relationships, whether as an Advocate, Partner, or as staff when we are facilitators of relationships, it’s easy to get paralyzed by perfectionism. What’s the perfect gift? How do I create the perfect memory? What would be the perfect match?

Yet when we chase perfection we risk doing nothing at all, or making the friendship more about ourselves than the other person.

When we take our minds off ourselves and simply show up again and again, gifts are exchanged, memories are created, and friendships grow. This is not because they’re perfect, but persistence creates something beautiful.

Bunny (Advocate, right) joined us in 2016 to support her friend Stacy (Partner, middle) at church. Through ups and downs, she’s stayed steady. She would readily admit it hasn’t been perfect, but in many ways that's precisely what has helped their friendship endure all these years.

Along the way, Caroline (left) also befriended Stacy. Over the years, the three have created so many memories they could fill photo albums (and they have!).

📸 Pictured here is their first trip outside NYC—an unforgettable day in Beacon, NY.

Stacy sums up the good fruit that can come from committed relationships beautifully:

“I used to dance by myself, eat by myself. I used to be very lonely.

It’s good that I have God. I can talk to Him whenever I want.

But God wants me to be with people, to have good friends to laugh with and eat with.

I’m very lucky to have good friends.”

10/02/2025

In a world heavy with despair, we remain committed to sowing peace and hope through relationships.

As we continue to celebrate 10 years at Do For One, here’s Lesson 3 of 5. This is wisdom drawn from Advocates, Partners, and the journey of building this community together.

Lesson 3: People Are Your Greatest Asset

We’ve learned not to grow faster than we have the right people to support it.�New people bring fresh skills, new perspective, renewed momentum, and an opportunity for growth.

That’s why we’re expanding our mission through Lead For One—a leadership development program that teaches Do For One’s blueprint for relationship-building. (link in bio)

💬 Mimi, part of our 2025 Lead For One cohort, says:

“This journey has reshaped my perspective. Now I see that healing begins with connection.”

Mimi leads a volunteer program at a local nursing home and has helped recruit for several Do For One relationships.

She’s also a voluntary advocate for a woman in her late 70s living in assisted care. With support from Do For One, Mimi has learned that:

“Persistence creates room for hope, renewal, and the possibility of lasting community.”

Mimi is the kind of person we’re investing in at Lead For One: committed to living out Do For One’s values, eager to inspire others, and strengthened by moral clarity to guide restorative action.

Through Lead For One, participants like Mimi are equipped with practical wisdom for relationship-building and strengthened by the encouragement of a supportive community walking the same path.

https://www.doforone.org/leadforone

We teach Do For One’s blueprint for relationship-building. Isolation is rising. Social divides are deepening. People with disabilities and other marginalized groups bear the brunt of these realities. Many are searching for answers but struggling to find a way forward. With over a decade of tested ...

09/30/2025

✨ As part of celebrating Do For One's 10th anniversary, we’re sharing 5 lessons from 10 years This is wisdom drawn from our Advocates, Partners, and the journey of building this community together.

Lesson 2/5: Asking, "What's the Next Doable Step?"

Like our first, it’s about moving steady in the right direction. But now, with the direction set, the focus shifts: discerning the right sequence of steps, taking them one by one, and remembering that endurance is key to the journey.

For example, sometimes when Advocates step into a Do For One relationship with their Partner, there’s an eagerness to “help” by going from from 0 to 80.

But this can easily overwhelm BOTH the advocate and partner.

To establish any relationship, building trust is the first step, and there’s no way around it — establishing trust simply takes spending time with the person.

Jesse (Advocate) coined one of our favorite phrases which fits here:

EVEN IF JUST A LITTLE BIT.

Jesse (Advocate, pictured left) says,

"One of the most meaningful aspects of our friendship is that Lenin (pictured right, Partner) has had experiences that he wouldn’t otherwise be able to have.

In short, his world has expanded, even if just a little bit.

We’ve baked cookies, made brunch, watched movies, and gone out to eat at restaurants in Harlem.

I’ve introduced Lenny to my roommates and other friends. They, in turn, have become friends to Lenin (see Matthew top right of second photo), and he has become a friend to them."

If you are just starting out in a relationship or you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know what to do, how to be there, or how to be helpful, simply ask yourself, “What’s the next doable step?”

And remember Jesse’s wisdom: your efforts are worth it, even if you see positive change, just a little bit at a time.

Take that next step...

09/10/2025

Between now and the end of the year, we’re celebrating Do For One's 10th anniversary! 🎉

In the next five posts, we’ll share five insights from 10 years, drawn from the wisdom of our Advocates and Partners and the journey of building Do For One.

💡 INSIGHT 1: It’s better to do the right thing badly than the wrong thing well.

Andrew, Do For One’s founder, reflects on his very first match (in 2013, during the pre-launch years) between Peter and Charlie:

When Peter (Advocate) asked to meet someone, I introduced him to Charlie (Partner), an exuberant man living in a group home. Their first conversation flowed easily while I stood nervously in the hall, unsure how to invite them to meet again.

"It’s working!" I thought.

As their conversation wrapped up, I realized I hadn’t helped them picture what the relationship might become.

That was supposed to be my job 🤣.

Turns out, I didn’t need to!

Near the end of the conversation, Charlie asked Peter, “When am I going to see you next?” Peter immediately replied, “How about next week?”

And just like that, their friendship blossomed, filled with ball games, church services, shared meals, and Charlie meeting Peter’s family.

💡💡💡💡💡

There’s a certain kind of grace at work when we choose to do the right thing, even when we’re not very good at it yet. Philadelphia-based architect Louis Kahn once said, “It’s better to do the right thing badly than to do the wrong thing well.”

A good life lesson for all of us is to keep going in the right direction, even if we’re slow and things seem uncertain or uneven. It’s FAR better than racing ahead in the wrong direction.