Charity Matters Inspiration Archives - Page 33 of 37

Charity Matters Inspiration December 18, 2013

The Miracles of Christmas: Matthew’s Hope

In searching for a Christmas miracle story to share with you, I came across an incredible family and am blessed that when I reached out to them, they agreed to let me share their story. It began in November 2002 when Bud Hanley began writing letters to his unborn son, Matthew. This is his letter.

My little Matthew,

Good morning, my sweet baby boy. We miss you so much and wish God had allowed you to be with us. Your short life has changed ours and has impacted hundreds of others. We started a non-profit organization in your memory called Matthew’s Hope Children’s Ministry to help other children in our community. I could write a book sharing the many miracles that have taken place through Matthew’s Hope, but I’ll just share this one for now . . .

When Mommy was pregnant with you in the fall of 2002, we decided to pick out a needy family and buy Christmas gifts for them on our own. Our church and Sunday school class had done this and we always participated in that, but never had we done it ourselves . . . Our local schools send home an information sheet to the kids who are in need and the families fill it out with requests and sizes . . . Me and Mommy looked through the sheets of paper and one stood out to us.

It was a 12- year-old boy with a two-year-old nephew. They lived in a pretty bad home situation. The older boy, Chris Bagwell, returned his sheet to school and asked for socks and underwear and “if possible” a football. He asked for the same for his little two-year- old nephew and “if possible” a fire truck. That broke our hearts and impressed us that a 12- year-old would ask for such minimal and basic needs . . .

We loaded those boys down with everything from new jeans, shirts, shoes and coats to bicycles and footballs and fire trucks…and yes socks and underwear. Mommy went and bought the stuff the day before Thanksgiving and came home that night and we wrapped it all up with your big sister “helping” us. She was two years old at the time . . .

Then our nightmare began. The day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 30, 2002, your Mommy’s water broke and our ordeal began. You were born and died on December 18th. We flew home and buried you on December 21st. That night, we went and delivered those gifts to Chris and his little nephew.

I can’t begin to describe how happy and grateful that little boy was. He had never had such things before. It helped us so much to see the gratitude in his face and his words. He helped us as much as we helped him; he just didn’t realize it. He was so proud of what we had given him.

Well, several years passed and we often wondered what happened to Chris because he had impressed us so much. He even worked with his uncle to help bring in some money for his family.

We later started Matthew’s Hope and have helped many similar families since then. In the Spring of 2008, two women from Belton-Honea Path High School approached me and asked if we would like to provide a scholarship from Matthew’s Hope. We decided that would be a good idea and instructed them that our criteria would not be necessarily the straight “A” student, but rather a kid who had overcome bad circumstances and did well anyway.

They brought us several essays that students had written about why they deserved a scholarship and we chose one that seemed to stand out to us. The scholarships are given every year at a ceremony at Erskine College called the Evening of Excellence. Mommy and me went that evening and presented the scholarship to the recipient after briefly sharing a little about Matthew’s Hope and why we were doing it. It was a nice evening and we went home. We had just walked in the door when the telephone rang. Mommy answered the phone and all of a sudden the color drained from her face and she put it on speaker phone.

It was the young man to whom we had just given the scholarship.

He said, “This is Chris—you don’t remember me do you? But when I was 12 years old, you and your husband brought Christmas gifts to me and my nephew.”

Matthew, when he said that, I thought I was going to pass out . . . He went on to tell us that when we brought those gifts at age 12, he realized for the first time in his life that somebody loved him.

You see how God works? . . .

Love,

Daddy

One of Bud’s last letters to his son.

Dear Matthew,

My son, you touched so many lives and you will continue to touch lives. As long as I live, I will tell of the miracles I personally witnessed . . . I will make you these promises . . I will work tirelessly to cause good to come from your life. I will tell the world about you to motivate people to help others in your memory. I will let your life be my testimony and I will share it with as many people as God gives me the opportunity . . .

I will one day meet you in heaven. Until then, I will continue to live because I know you live . . . I know that your Papas and Grannys in heaven will take care of you . . . Hang in there my, little man, Daddy will be home soon.

Daddy

When I reached out to the Hanleys this past weekend and asked permission to share, Bud said to me, “Coincidentally (or not) Wednesday, December 18th would have been Matthew’s 12th birthday.” A true Christmas miracle full of love, family, faith and giving.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration December 13, 2013

Sandyhook

Today is Friday the 13th, a day shrouded in superstition and bad luck. Worse than being Friday, the 13th it is the one year anniversary of the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary. A moment so horrific and tragic that it seems surreal, except to those families that will spend this one year anniversary still asking why?

Only 365 days out, the hindsight offers little perspective and few answers. There is a glimmer of hope and healing and that is the new non-profit founded by Sandy Hook parents called the Sandy Hook Promise. Its mission is to research and implement sensible solutions to prevent gun violence, as well as to influence legislators and engage constituents in the legislative process that helps their community to heal.

Joining the Sandy Hook promise is not about politics but rather about working together to create a dialogue and beginning to take the pain and use it as fuel to heal and move forward. This sunday is an international day of remembrance for children that have died. There are candle lighting services around the globe honoring children we have lost and sadly there will be 20 extra candles lit this year in remembrance.

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Charity Matters Inspiration December 11, 2013

Christmas in the City

Can you hear the song playing now? “Ring a-ling, hear them sing, its Christmas Time in the City.” I am always looking for inspiring people and stories that make our world better and this family has created a holiday classic even better than the song it is named after.

It all started 23 years ago, in 1989 ,when the Kennedy family from Boston (not sure if there is a relation) saw the excess that their children had on Christmas. These two amazing parents, Jake and Sparky, wondered how they were going to teach their children what the season was really all about? They simply wanted them to understand the spirit of Christmas, of kindness, goodwill and the gift of sharing. Their solution was to take the holiday tradition that they had with their family and bring it to others, that didn’t.

So the following year, the Kennedy’s expanded their Christmas tradition with the help of their friends, co-workers, and clients all volunteering their time and donating gifts and money to provide Christmas for those that didn’t have one. In that moment, Christmas in the City was born. The first year 165 mothers and children from Boston Homeless Shelters were guests at a party at Boston City Hall, with holiday decorations, games, a holiday meal and a gift for each child that the child had asked Santa to deliver.

In the two decades since, Christmas in the City hosts over 3,000 children and parents from homeless shelters from Boston and surrounding communities. More than replicating the Kennedy’s Christmas morning, these children now experience a safe environment, filled with food, entertainment, a Winter Wonderland with games, rides, a petting zoo, activities from the Museum of Science and the Children’s Museum, and each child received a personalized gift from Santa which they had wished for.

As if that wasn’t enough, Christmas in the City also distributes toys and gifts to almost 2000 families who can not be accommodated at the event.

The Kennedy’s small gesture to share the joy of the season has now become a year round affair because Christmas in the City simply could not turn away those they have cared for. In addition, they now provide a Thanksgiving food distribution for families in need; an Adopt- a-Family program to assist families transitioning from a shelter to their own home; assisting homeless families in providing support to help find employment, financial aid and legal advise, daycare and other help to get back on their feet.

What began as a way to teach the joy of the season to their own children has become a teaching moment for all of us blessed to witness the magic of Christmas happening all around us. Cue music….Ring a-ling, hear them sing, soon it will be Christmas day….

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration December 6, 2013

Mandela

“A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.”

Nelson Mandela

Yesterday we lost an icon, legend, peacemaker and a man who simply put, just made our world better. There are very few words you can write that have not been said about Nelson Mandela. So rather than tell you what you already know, I think we can all take a page from his amazing life and apply it to our own.

There is no greater tribute than to put his legacy into action.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration November 22, 2013

When a hero comes along

By the time most of you see this post, the story I’m about to share will have probably gone viral. In hundreds of post, I think I have only shared someone else’s story twice…..but if ever there is one worth sharing it is this. Each week, I tell the stories of the only heroes I have, those that selflessly helped others to make our world better. This man takes that term, hero, to an entirely different level. His name is Sir Nicholas Winton.

Right before WWII, he organized the rescue and passage to Britain of about 669 Jewish Czechoslovakian children destined for the Nazi death camps. The operation was known as the Czech Kindertransport.

What makes Nicholas Winton even more unique is that he never told anyone about this, not even his own wife, Grete. Almost fifty years later, in 1988, she found a scrapbook from 1939 in their attic. It contained all the children’s names, photos, and a few letters from parents of the children to Winton. That is when Grete finally learned the story.

Get the kleenex, to see what happened when the survivors gathered to give him a wonderful surprise:

So if you have seen this before, it just doesn’t matter. It is humanity at its essence. Simple, pure, humble, goodness. These are the stories that need to be shared again and again because the message reminds us of who we are and can be. Heroes are all around us, they are simply the ones …..who never speak up.

Charity Matters.

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Story courtesy of www.TruthSeekerDaily.com

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Charity Matters Inspiration November 1, 2013

Movember: Changing the face of men’s health

Photo curtesy of Movember.Com — Photo courtesy of Movember.Com

Today is November 1st and the beginning of Movember. No, this isn’t a typo but rather a movement. You may recall that last November there seemed to be an unusual amount of facial hair and beards. Those beards and unshaven faces were not by accident, but rather a statement for men’s health.

A statement that all began in 2003, when two mates in a bar ( Travis Garone and Luke Slattery) were having a simple conversation about whatever happened to the moustache or the Mo, as they called it, and a joke about bringing it back. These buddies from Melbourne, Australia decided to talk their friends into growing a Mo for a purpose. They were inspired by a friend’s mom who was raising funds for breast cancer and decided to direct their efforts towards men’s health and prostate cancer. They sent an email titled Are you man enough to be my man? The result was 30 guys willing to take up the challenge and pay ten dollars each, towards their cause and the beginning of Movember.

Their goal started small but never wavered. These four friends wanted to recruit men who would support Movember, who by the way are called MoBros. The Mo Bros, would begin by registering at Movember.Com and start Movember 1st clean-shaven, then grow and groom their Mo, for the rest of the month, raising money along the way. In addition, these men become walking, talking billboards for their cause. Not to exclude the girls, they also started Mo Sistas, who champion their Mo by registering and supporting the Mo Bros in their life.

What started as a fun bar conversation in 2003 and 30 MoBros in Melbourne, Australia has morphed into 3 million participants globally, who have raised more than $446 million to date. Movember, is more than a month but rather through the power of the moustache, it has truly become a global movement that is changing the face of men’s health.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration October 14, 2013

Goodness is contagious

I received an email the other day from a lacrosse store that my youngest son loves called Adrenaline. The email just made my day and got me thinking about just how contagious goodness is. The note came from the lacrosse store owner, Ian and told the story of a 13-year-old boy, named Jack. Jack had been volunteering with his dad in a underserved part of town teaching lacrosse as a community service project, in association with his father’s company.

The father and son put on a lacrosse clinic for about 75 children. The equipment was donated to use during the clinic. The kids loved the sport and wanted to learn more and play, however did not have the financial resources to afford the equipment to do so.

Which brings us back to Jack, who now wants to provide equipment for all of these kids. So, Jack approached Ian and asked if he could put a used equipment collection box in his store, which of course he did. Here comes the contagious part. Ian was so inspired by this 13 year olds big heart that he then emailed the entire Southern California lacrosse community to ask if we could all help Jack out with his mission. He has now put collection boxes in all of the Adrenaline stores and at practice locations.

Goodness is so easy to catch and truly contagious. Sometimes we are so busy that we forget to stop and realize all the beautiful miracles around us each and every day. It is the simple acts of kindness for another. I hope what Jack is spreading is as contagious to you as it was to me, because this is something worth catching!

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration October 9, 2013

Keeping the Dream Alive

As you already know, I spend a lot of time talking about ways to use your gifts to make others’ lives better. What is a little less comfortable is talking about my own time and what gifts I use to share with others. So today, I thought I would let you know that I do practice what I preach, or at least try my best….

For the past few months I have been working on a new video for the non-profit, Spiritual Care Guild, which ten of us founded a decade ago, to provide chaplains at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. As a story-teller (I am Irish after all) telling the story of our non-profit was challenging, fun and at the end rewarding. So please, take a look….

When we began our group, the first benefit was Field of Dreams, an outdoor movie night set on a baseball field. Our hope was to “build it and they would come.” A decade later, I am so proud to say they did. Ten years ago, we could never have imagined all this group has accomplished. Today, our dream continues as we continue to support and provide chaplains to thousands of families and children at CHLA.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration October 7, 2013

Giving, the universal language

Have you read the Tipping Point? Malcom Gladwell’s book about seeing the tides turn before there is change. According to Gladwell, “The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.” I could be wrong but I feel that we are globally experiencing a shift like this right now and that shift is about giving and kindness.

It’s everywhere you look, pink socks in the NFL for breast cancer, corporations leveraging causes to help soften their images and everyone doing their part to volunteer or make a difference. I recently saw this video and thought that this change is not unique to U.S. it is a global shift that is happening now.

The stories of kindness and compassion are universal and as old as time. Videos like this, simply remind us that these “tipping points” start with us. The simple act of kindness is a universal language.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration October 2, 2013

Be More Heroic

With October comes the beginning of fall, the crunch of leaves, football and anti-bullying month. Who knew? When we grew up, there were bullies on the playground and in our neighborhoods but there were few solutions. Well there is a great new non-profit called Be More Heroic.Org that is taking a fresh new approach to the age-old problem of bullying.

Be More Heroic all began when six friends, hatched an idea in Justin Haulbrook’s living room. Their mission was to inspire individuals and communities to stimulate positive, proactive and courageous action in their daily lives. In order to make that happen Be More Heroic visits schools (elementary through colleges) and begins their program with a huge interactive assembly that empowers students with music, media and personal stories.

After their assembly, the Be more Heroic team creates a student team that sustains the message of the assembly throughout the year. The student team then creates and completes three service projects that involve, school, home and community. The result is a group of children who now become student advocates against bullying as well as inspiration to other kids, their communities and themselves.

Now thats what I call heroic!

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Charity Matters Inspiration September 25, 2013

Augie’s Quest

What would you do if you were told you had Lou Gerhigs disease? A disease also known as ALS, which is a disease where parts nerve cells that control muscle cells are gradually lost. I honestly don’t know what I would do but I can tell you what a remarkable man named Augie Nieto did. He got busy!

In March of 2005, at the age of 53 Augie Nieto was a thriving entrepreneur and fitness industry leader. His diagnosis of ALS changed the course of his life and positively inspired thousands of others. Augie’s first reaction was, “My first priority is to spend time with my family. What I learned later in my career is that it is not the quantity but the quality of time you spend that matters.”

His next step was to be part of the solution to find a cure for this disease. “My very first step in fighting back was to partner with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which offers the best ALS doctors and health care professionals in the country. Together, MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) and I formed “Augie’s Quest,” which coordinates fundraising events that benefit MDA’s worldwide ALS research program.”

Augie didn’t start his own non-profit but rather partnered with an existing one and created a contract with MDS, clearly defining his terms. First and foremost was that 100% of the donations he raised went to research and to date that figure is somewhere around the 30 million dollar mark and counting. As if that wasn’t enough, in 2007 he co-authored a book entitled Augies Quest: One man’s journey from success to significance.

It has been over eight years since Augie’s diagnosis and the man who built his empire building other’s people’s muscles, has now lost the use of his own. Although he has lost the ability to speak his spirit continues to be unstoppable in his quest to find a cure. Success to significance doesn’t begin to describe this journey.

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Charity Matters Inspiration September 23, 2013

Changing the view

Everyone has a gift. Everyone. The magic comes when you discover how to share yours with another. There are not words to explain the video below……

One man’s vision becomes another person’s sight. The magic happens when we share our gifts with one another. That is the beauty of our humanity.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration September 18, 2013

Now I lay me down to sleep

Time and time again I am moved and inspired by the human spirit, especially at a time of loss. It is at our lowest and weakest moments that we connect with our core, our bottom. Like the bottom of a pool we push up to the top gasping for air and are reminded that we are alive. It is that reminder that motivates so many to use their pain to ensure that another does not suffer the same fate and as a result, begins an organization to help others.

That is just the story of Cheryl Haggard. Cheryl’s son, Maddux Achilles Haggard, was born with a condition called myotubular myopathy which prevented him from breathing on his own. After six short days his parents had to make the devastating decision to take him off life support. Before that moment came, they called photographer Sandy Puc to take beautiful portraits of them cradling their son. Sandy photographed the couple with their infant son before and shortly after he was removed from life support.

Those intimate photographs documenting Maddux’s short life and last moments inspired Cheryl Haggard and Sandy Puc’ to begin a nonprofit organization called, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, after the children’s bedtime prayer.

Since 2005, Cheryl and Sandy’s non-profit has provided thousands of families of babies who are stillborn or are at risk of dying as newborns with free professional portraits with their baby. Today, over 11,000 volunteers have been part of the network. Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep reaches every state in the United States and has been or is present in 40 countries worldwide.

Maddux lived just six days but his legacy goes on with every family that is blessed with the memory of their child.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration September 13, 2013

When a hero comes along

So many non-profits came as a result of September 11th. The need to take the tragedy and turn it into something positive, happened over and over in the aftermath of that day. Many of the non-profits have gone by the wayside in the past twelve years, but there is one that is still going strong and that is HEART911.org

I always refer to non-profit founders as heroes but this founder is the real deal and he has the medals to prove it. His name is Bill Keegan and he was the Night Operations Commander of the World Trade Center Rescue/Recovery Teams. Bill was awarded the highest medal for the WTC 9/11 assault as well as the 1993 WTC Bombing Medal of Valor for his rescue of school children trapped in a stalled elevator; the Hanratty Medal of Valor and over fifty police duty medals.

What makes Bill a real hero, as if he wasn’t already, was his creation of the non-profit, HEART 9/11 (Healing Emergency Aid Response Team) which he founded in 2007. Heart 9/11 is a non-profit disaster response organization composed of police, fire, union construction workers, and 9/11 surviving families. Their belief is that we help ourselves by helping others. These volunteers help first responders and victims of disasters by transferring the hard-earned lessons they learned from the World Trade Center rescue/recovery mission. The Mission of HEART 9/11 is to alleviate the suffering of individuals and communities coping with disasters and related trauma, wherever it strikes in our world.

Today HEART 9/11 is over 530 members strong. These members were experienced by being victims (9/11), and as a result, understand the challenges in turning victims into survivors. HEART 9/11 continues to rebuild lives in three ways: emergency response to disaster stricken communities, facilitation of mental health and build housing for wounded returning veterans.

September 11th was a day we will never forget. The heroes and the ripples of kindness that resulted from loss, continue to inspire.

Charity Matters.

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