Give and You Will Receive. Really?
by Jean-Philippe on June 18, 2009
in Canada, Education, Health, Selflessness, Teens
You have heard about it. It’s in the Bible, “The Secret” talks about it as a key law of the Universe. Here is one more inspiring example to show you that selflessly giving comes back tenfold… or more.
Anna James is a senior high school student from Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton, Ontario. She just graduated and her last two years have been busy. Distressed by world poverty, Anna decided to take action and founded her school’s Humanitarian Club. She couldn’t accept that people in countries far away were starving or couldn’t study. So she spearheaded Project Love. The goal was to help schools in Tanzania while involving her classmates in Grey Highlands. She devised an inter-class competition which gathered and sent 800 school supply kits to Tanzania.
How can you increase awareness about hunger among your peers? Anna’s idea was to organize an overnight “30 Hour Famine” group and help plan African lunches, to expose her community to global cuisine and gather funds for charitable causes. She also wanted first hand experience. In 2008, for six weeks, Anna volunteered in Peru helping abandoned and disabled children while also assisting impoverished seniors in the Peruvian desert.
She was also active in other areas, so much so, that she became, to her surprise, one of the recipient of a scholarship, which recognizes 20 students across Canada who are making a difference in their communities. This windfall will cover her post-secondary tuition and living expenses. Says Anna, “All along there have been personal rewards. I would have done these things regardless of the chances of a scholarship. The reward is the people you meet and it’s nice to have this material reward too.” Via Bayshore Broadcasting
Do you still not believe in giving and receiving? Or have you had a surprising experience?
A Homeless Everyone (now) Loves
by Jean-Philippe on May 13, 2009
in Canada, Selflessness, Teens
Faron Hall was asking for spare change to a teen. That teen didn’t have any and walked away but if he had known what would happen later, he would have offered his entire savings to the homeless man.
In Winnipeg, Canada, life is hard for everyone. For those living in the fringes of the society it is much more than that. Years ago, Faron Hall was a promising teacher aid and a college student when his mother was murdered. Unable to cope with the situation, he slowly drifted into low paying jobs and alcohol.
From his makeshift home on the riverbank, Faron Hall saw the same teen falling from the bridge into the Red river, swift and swollen from flood waters. Suddenly there was no more spare change, hard times or alcohol. A life had to be saved and Faron dove into the river. He saved the teen’s life and became an instant hero in Canada.
Later, at a press conference, he had this to say: “All us homeless people, we’re not all stupid idiots. We’re not all bums who dress dirty,” he said. “Don’t judge the way we dress; judge right here, in the mind and in the heart.”
Remember, don’t judge. You are looking at another human being who is in a difficult situation. I agree that it is not easy not to judge, so from now on I will remember what Faron Hall did one day in Winnipeg. Via cbc.ca
Jeremy Hockenstein (Canadian Social Entrepreneur)
by Jean-Philippe on April 24, 2009
in Business, Canada, Education
He visited Cambodia as a tourist and thought he could help local people who were learning computer skills but couldn’t find a job. He founded there a non-profit company that works like a business and helps the poorest Cambodians find better jobs and upgrade their skills. The company, Digital Divide Data has now expanded to Laos and Vietnam. Via montrealgazette.com
Jorma Hogbacka (Canadian Welder)
by Jean-Philippe on February 6, 2009
in Canada, Friendship
He used to choose his lottery numbers in the same coffee shop week after week. He befriended the waitresses there and promised to give them a share if he would win. When that happened, he made sure to track them down to hand them their check. Via thestar.com