One of the nice things about a multi-level member organization such as The AIM Companies™ is that it attracts a variety of memberships, each truly unique. No two are exactly alike, sort of like what you hear about snowflakes. Each AIM Member has his/her own look, personality, and interests.

Charles and Linda Lotshaw are AIM Directors. They live in Corona, California, which is located in a small valley 50 miles from Los Angeles and about 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Since 1972 they have owned a heating and cooling business. They have been married for 45 years, have two children, seven grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. He enjoys playing some golf – “I am not very good at it” – and she likes to garden. But for thousands and thousands of children and adults in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho, they are Charles and Linda of Lotshaw Helping Hands and they are here to help. What began as a project to help their church’s food ministry by lending it their truck and some warehouse space has now become Lotshaw Helping Hands, a non-profit 501(c)3 ministry founded by Charles and Linda in 1983. “We never intended to start a ministry,” says Linda. The assistance given the local church turned into Charles developing a network of churches and donors that just kept growing and growing. It reached the point where it became a life of its own. Now the Lotshaws travel 35,000 miles annually to, in their words, “embrace people with genuine needs from any culture, ethnicity, or religious background. Real need can occur in the life of anyone. As is within our means and ability, Helping Hands is committed to assisting those with whom we are brought into contact.” Their motto: Serving, Sharing, Loving, Caring.

“We help these families because we feel that this is what God wants us to do,” says Linda. Primarily, their focus is on children although they still offer aid to adults if the resources are available. “We feel that by helping children, we are helping their parents,” explains Linda. “When you help a child it blesses their parents. We do not take a paycheck. The joy of helping children, seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing the excitement in their voices, is more than enough.”

Everything done by Lotshaw Helping Hands is funded by donations received from those who are aware of the program and also through their newsletter. Programs include:
■  A shopping trip for needy children to an area J.C. Penney store in which each child receives a $100 gift card and is accompanied by an adult volunteer to make sure purchases are for needed items. Typical items are shoes, socks, a coat, underwear, and school clothes. Penney’s cooperates by often offering discounts and specials so the $100 can purchase a few more items. Children are selected based on the recommendation of a local school, a social need agency, a Native American reservation census report, etc. Lotshaw Helping Hands holds this event several times per year, assists 60 children at a time, so each trip takes $6,000 just to cover the cost of the shopping trip for the kids. The Lotshaw ministry adds a special surprise gift pack and two bags filled with candy, toys, and school supplies. The AIM Companies™ assists the Lotshaws with volunteers and a cash donation for the kids’ shopping trips in Idaho.

■  There is an outreach program for military families who are in need due to a  �
    mother or father stationed elsewhere.
■  Farm laborers and Native American children and adults benefit from an annual
    events program tailored to meet their individual needs including food and clothing.
■  Bicycle donations are encouraged. The bikes are refurbished through a prison
    program in California. At the various events involving Lotshaw Helping Hands,
    they are given to children in need of a bike.
■  At times donations of building supplies and household items make it possible
    to distribute to those with corresponding needs. Such aid has gone to
    children’s homes and churches on Native American reservations.

“It is truly a blessing to be able to help all of these people and see how God has used our ministry to make a difference in their lives,” says Linda. “Many of the low income schools that we have been privileged to work with have said that their children have never experienced anything like this before. One of the things we hear most is that the children feel special and comment that ‘This is the best day of my life.’ Many children have never been shopping for clothes or even to a mall.”

Lotshaw Helping Hands sponsored a Penney’s shopping trip for needy kids at a school in the Nampa, Idaho, area. Nampa is AIM’s headquarters. The school counselor wrote a thank you that has no doubt been said many times to the Lotshaws: “Our staff has been so excited to see the kids in their new clothes. Many years, as the weather turns cold, we have lots of kids improperly dressed on chilly days. All of our Penney’s and Helping Hands kids have warm sweatshirts, pants, and shoes. For the generosity you have shown our community, may you be well blessed.”

The Lotshaws point to such expressions of gratitude as the best reward of all. They talk about notes from kids who, for the first time, have decent shoes and clothes. Others comment on a rise in self-esteem. Parents with nothing offer the Lotshaws personal treasures as a way to say thanks. School counselors share the thrill of seeing kids with some joy in their lives, something missing for too many of them.

Blake Bowyer is a marketing associate at AIM in Nampa. He volunteered to help with last year’s shopping trip. “Lotshaw Helping Hands was a rewarding and eye-opening experience. As I watched the kids file off the bus, I could see excitement in their eyes. I was assigned two young boys. They were in disbelief that they could shop for new clothes, ones they got to choose. It was heartwarming. The fact that they were so thankful for what they were being given made me realize all of the things I take for granted.”

The Lotshaws obviously are high energy, highly-motivated people. Their motivation, they say, comes from their belief in Jesus Christ. “We feel that using the Bible as a guide for our life is the best piece of advice we have ever received.” They also feel that all they do “should be done with the utmost integrity.” They say they get their energy level from AIM BarleyLife®, augmented by a number of other AIM products each of them uses. “If we miss taking our AIM BarleyLife® in the morning, we notice a big difference in our energy level and overall well-being,” says Linda. So they will not forget, they line their kitchen counter with AIM products.

“Our annual schedule is based upon the amount of money we receive in donations.” says Linda. Lotshaw Helping Hands is on the road some portion of each month. “The needs are ongoing and increasing,” Linda states. “We do all we can with what we receive.”