There is some ugly stuff in the news these days with the warring in the Mid-East, and now a climbing death toll as a tsunami hits Indonesia’s Java. Give yourself a respite from it all, and cheer for some good news instead:
In the spirit of our month’s value of Lokomaika‘i, giving and generosity, check out The Newsweek Giving Back Awards: 15 People Who Make America Great.
You can read up on how Pierre Omidyar of EBay fame is using his $10 billion fortune to help people “tap into their own power,” or how Randy Rusk, a conservative rancher, stood up for his land “by forging an unlikely alliance” with conservation. There’s a story of how two college students found their destiny in fundraising to send Guatemalan kids to school, and another that explains why Aaron Dworkin’s mission in life emerged: “diversifying America’s symphonies—and their musical repertoires. ‘You can’t complain about something,’ he says, "unless you’re doing something about it.’”
These are stories to make you feel good, and stories which lead you to wonder, “What can I do?” 15 Stories in all, all about the abundance of Lokomaika‘i; read them and get inspired. There is so much we can do for our fellow man when we just decide to, and commit to.
Mentor: Dworkin with some of Sphinx’s Detroit public-school students. Photo credit: Baerbel Schmidt for Newsweek.
Excellent post Rosa. It is good to see some of the regular folks doing good get attention and not just the Gates/Buffett’s.
And to your point of what can we do, we can stop to see the good around us and recognize it, instead of rushing on by busy about whatever… The deed does not need to be a major one. A simple step, a simple action, a simple thank you will help.
Thank you for the reminder!
Good thoughts Steve, and I couldn’t agree more. People, not money, are the great enablers. Generosity is about the giving of who were are, no reinvention necessary, and these Newsweek stories do a terrific job in presenting some examples for us.