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Charity Matters Inspiration

The renewal of spring

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.”

anonymous

As Spring has sprung and beauty begins to peek out from under the darkness of winter, it seems to be a time of renewal both internally and externally.

The beauty of the season has put me in a pensive and reflective mood of sorts. I find myself dreaming big dreams, thinking about ways to improve myself, stretch and grow.

The sound track of my mind is this…..

How can I use my life to make other’s better?

What skills do I have that can really make an impact?

Is even a small impact enough?

While, I do not have answers for such big questions. I do know that asking them is the first step towards the renewal that is spring.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration

The Improved Man

A few years ago, my husband and I went to Wisconsin, where he competed to become a nationally ranked triathlete. We were sitting at an outdoor restaurant over looking a river, when I struck up a conversation with an older (in years only) gentleman, whose name was Don Ardell.   He was competing in the 70+ age group, where he is and continuous to be, the number one ranked triathlete and national champion in three sports, at the age of 79. He is a remarkable man and over the years we have become pen pals of sorts.

So, last week when I received this note from him in reference to previous week’s Gandhi quote, I had to share it with you…..It was so beautiful, I began to cry.

Here is the note from Don below….

Reading the Gandhi quote (Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men) led to my reflection on one of Ingersoll’s speeches that I think is a partial blueprint for the embrace of the common decencies, namely his “Improved Man” address, delivered in New York on February 23, 1890. Here are the concluding words of this lovely talk:

 The Improved Man will not give his life to the accumulation of wealth. He will find no happiness in exciting the envy of his neighbors. He will not care to live in a palace while others who are good, industrious and kind are compelled to huddle in huts and dens. He will know that a great wealth is a great burden, and that to accumulate beyond the actual needs of a reasonable human being is to increase not wealth, but responsibility and trouble.

The Improved Man will find his greatest joy in the happiness of others and he will know that the home is the real temple. He will believe in the democracy of the fireside, and will reap his greatest reward in being loved by those whose lives he has enriched.

The Improved Man will be self-poised, independent, candid and free. He will be a scientist. He will observe, investigate, experiment and demonstrate. He will use his sense and his senses. He will keep his mind open as the day to the hints and suggestions of nature. He will always be a student, a learner, and a listener–a believer in intellectual hospitality.  In the world of his brain there will be a continuous summer, perpetual sees-time and harvest.  Facts will be the foundation of his faith. In one hand he will carry the torch of truth and with the other raise the fallen.

As we hit mid- week, I share Don’s words, wisdom and gift with you. A man who inspires others to be their best, to live a healthy lifestyle and shows us all by example what a life well lived is truly all about….most assuredly, an Improved Man.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration

There is a reason its viral

I often find myself mindlessly scrolling Facebook, when I’m standing in line, bored or looking for some type of meaningful distraction. The key word being meaningful. So as I sat down to write and came across this video from the other say, I knew my writing direction had taken a swift turn.

The story is about a young Muslim man, named Ibn Ali Miller, who came upon two young men who were beginning  a fight. A crowd was gathered to watch the neighborhood street fight, when Ibn interrupted to talk to the two young adversaries. He calmed them both and drew the crowd’s attention, who naturally, filmed the entire thing.

It was not the words he spoke to the boys that touched my heart but rather the words he shared with the press, about growing up in poverty, his mother, staying on the right path and the best way to use his 15 minutes of fame.

Every week I bring inspiring people to your attention. This amazing soul reminds us all that charity starts at home, in our neighborhoods and most importantly inside our hearts.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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Causes

Soaring Valor

My grandmother and mother used to cut articles out of the newspaper and send them to me. Nowadays, my sweet mother-in-law sends links instead. I received this link from her recently and it coincided with a dear friend’s dad being honored as a veteran of WWII.

As I watched the video below, tears streamed from my face and I was so touched to learn about all the work, actor Gary Sinise has done to support our veterans.  Coming from a military family he had always done work for Veteran’s causes going back as early as the 1970s. After September 11th, 2001 Gary decided to focus all his efforts on helping those who serve our country, whether first responders or members of our military.  In 2011, Gary decided to establish the Gary Sinise Foundation, with a mission to continue to “spread the word about the importance of service and sacrifice.”

The actor’s most recent focus has been to collect and preserve the oral histories of our WWII veterans. He has been bringing soldiers to WWII museum in Louisiana, to collect these stories before they are gone.

Since the foundation has been established in 2011 they have:

  • Served and provided for over 5,775 children of fallen families
  • Served over 83,000 veterans meals
  • Collected over 8,000 oral histories from WWII Veterans
  • Provided over 5,800 veterans nights out for art and theater
  • Performed over 365 concerts for veterans
  • Adapted 51 veterans homes and counting to be handicap accessible

This work in service of those who have given their life to serve and protect us, is beyond inspiring. As Gary Sinise said, “While we can never do enough to show our gratitude to our nation’s defenders, we can always do a little more.” Thank you Gary Sinise for showing us what service is all about.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Rise

photo credit: Abe Kislevitz

 

The other day, as I rapidly scanned my very full email inbox, a letter for an upcoming women’s conference caught my eye. I glanced ahead to see whether this would be one of the rapidly deleted emails to enter my trash when I saw the words vulnerable and Rise.

As I continued reading, I discovered an incredibly personal story shared in the letter about the author, a tragedy, the survival and how that moment fueled and shaped this woman’s life. Today, she is using all that fuel to bring women together to empower them, teach one another, evolve and to Rise. I am continually in awe of the human spirit, our vulnerability and resilience. These people are my heroes, my fuel, my inspiration.

Each of us is dealt a band hand in life at some point, at least I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t had one? It is how we play that hand and use it, not only to empower ourselves, but more importantly how we use it to empower others. In a world, where we all put on our social media mask to shield that vulnerability, I want to salute, pay tribute and share stories of these brave people who take their pain and inspire us that the human condition is one we all share.

This post is dedicated to all of those who rise up and continue to inspire.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

A little inspiration

“Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.”

Gandhi

 

I have to confess, that despite the sunshine, I had a little dark cloud cross my path the other day.

The weather was spectacular and my heart full of gratitude and anticipation for something I have been working on for quite sometime. Then an unexpected text, sent my mood in a totally different direction.

In my somewhat emotional state, I began looking for quotes of inspiration and landed on an article about Gandhi….a sign or just luck, who knows?

As I read about this amazing man and his message of service, I realized that somehow I was calming down.

It was reading this that brought me back to what matters:

“And when you see the good in people it becomes easier to motivate yourself to be of service to them.

By being of service to other people, by giving them value you not only make their lives better.

Over time you tend to get what you give.

And the people you help may feel more inclined to help other people.

And so you, together, create an upward spiral of positive change that grows and becomes stronger.”

Sometimes, life is funny the way it throws us curves. If we stay focused on our course, we can learn to roll with the curves and know that we always have the power to make others lives better….. and our own.

Charity Matters.

 

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What Matters?

Spring Fling

As Spring approaches we can count on longer sunny days, clearing skies and charity invitations filling our mailboxes, these events are almost as dependable as knowing  April 15th is Tax Day. With Spring, also comes Spring break and for a lucky few of us, a chance to sit in the sun and crack open a book or magazine.

Last weekend, we saw the sun in LA and the glorious weather brought out piles of long overdue reading material. One of the articles I stumbled across was in this month’s issue of Town and Country Magazine, in their philanthropy section.

The article was about concern over the possible elimination of the charitable tax deduction, which began in 1913.  Author Richard Farley said, “If charity were a stock, it would be the bluest of blue chips. Over the past half century, giving has far outpaced the S &P 500 in growth. Today, it exceeds 2 percent of the GDP, accounting for approximately $373 billion a year.” 

While this number is astounding, it surprisingly wasn’t shocking to me, especially considering that the United States is the most charitable country in the world, according to the World Giving Index. Myanmar and Australia are closely behind in second and third place, in case your curious.

I would love to believe that our country is the most charitable because we care, not because of our deductions. Don’t get me wrong, I know that deductions are important, but what is more important is that we give because we want to not because we have to.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Circling back and moving forward

If you have been a long time reader of Charity Matters, you know I have certain causes, as we all do, that are near and dear to my heart. As a result, I love to re-visit these from time to time. In 2014, I wrote a post on a most remarkable young man from Verbum Dei High School in Watts (a favorite cause of mine for sure) and his name was Caylin Moore.

Last week, while I was at TCU, this inspiring young man and I had a few minutes to connect and hear about his incredible life in the service of others. Caylin grew up in Compton, with a strong single mother, two siblings and a deep faith. He attended Verbum Dei High School, where he was a scholar student and star athlete. After high school graduation he headed to Marist College on a full scholarship to play football. He became a Fulbright Scholar and then  transferred to TCU and walked onto the football team.

I came across a Charity Matters post from 2014, which opens with Caylin being asked where he sees himself in five years. His answer was insightful, as were his feelings about college. He said, “You go to college to change the world.”

Today, Caylin is still studying hard, working on a book, running his campus organization called SPARK (Strong Players Are Reaching Kids) where he and fellow athletes are inspiring the underserved youth of Fort Worth to be their very best and to dream big.  Caylin is also getting ready to head to Oxford, England as a Rhodes Scholar.

I can’t wait to circle back in a few more years and see how this remarkable man continues to inspire so many in his faith and service to others. A force in forward motion and compassion.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Let the light shine

“Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone, and as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  

Marianne Williamson

As March arrived, I started to get excited about seeing the sun again. We have had a very rainy cloudy winter here in LA. Thoughts of sun and warmth and light have been on my mind.

The more I pondered the topic of light, the more I began to think of light as an internal concept not just external. My mind went to those people who have an internal light that shines all the time. You know the ones that light up a room the moment they enter it?

I ran into one of those very special people last week in Texas and will be sharing that story on Wednesday. As we enter into spring and get ready for light, let’s think about trying to turn on our internal light and by doing so give others permission to do the same.

Let the sunshine….

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Sweet inspiration

“People want to feel what they do makes a difference.”

Frances Hesselbein

On Wednesday, I shared the inspiring story of non-profit activist, author, CEO, leader, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom , Frances  Hesslebein. Her life and example of being a servant leader was so inspiring that I needed to share more.

In speaking to Frances and my mutual friend, Mike Stallard, he told me that his favorite quote of hers is,

“To serve is to live.”

Today, Frances is 102 and still inspiring others through her work and life.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Nothing sweeter than Girl Scouts

Late February and early March may be a gloomy time of the year in most parts of the country, but if there is one thing that brightens all of our lives it is the beginning of Girl Scout cookie season. Half of the year I suffer from a mild depression when my freezer no longer contains thin mints and don’t get me started on how much I love tagalongs.  This year, there is something really special about all of this, its the 100th Anniversary of the Girl Scout cookie and their sales. Who knew a cookie could make such a difference in all of our lives?

The other day with my cookie order on my mind,  I had a great conversation with a friend, who told me I needed to meet one of his dear friends, an amazing woman named Frances Hesselbein. My friend, author Mike Stallard, began describing this incredible woman who transformed the Girl Scouts and so many more lives.  I knew I needed to know more about this amazing woman and how she has used her life to inspire so many others…

Frances, the mother of one son, went from Girl Scout troop leader to CEO of the Girl Scouts and was accredited with turning the organization around. She grew the organization to over 2,25 million girls and had a volunteer workforce of 780,000 during her time. In 1998 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work with the Girl Scouts.

In November, 2011 she told Forbes Magazine, “When I left the Girl Scouts in 1990, it was the largest organization for girls and women in the world. Six weeks later I found myself CEO of the Drucker Foundation, with no money, no staff and just a powerful vision. Peter encouraged us to focus on the type of change that will determine whether or not we are, all of us, a part of the future.”

Today the Girl Scouts is the world’s most successful organization dedicated to creating girl leaders with 3.2 million active members and over 59 million alumni! Truly nothing sweeter than using your life to make others better. Frances will be 102 in November.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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