Raise Your Hand...to Volunteer

"What a crazy day! My mind is racing, I’m tired and I just can’t wait to go home, eat a good meal, watch my favorite TV show and get a good night’s sleep!”

Sounds like an average night doesn’t it? Well…it all depends on who you talk to.

Did you know that?

• 1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world)
• 640 million live without adequate shelter
• 400 million have no access to safe water
• 270 million have no access to health services
• 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5
• Half the world (nearly three billion people) live on less than two dollars a day
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names
• Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen
• The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world’s countries) is less than the wealth of the world’s three richest people combined

As you can see the options of having a job, having a home to go to, having food on the table (even having a table), affording entertainment and having a bed to sleep on are not available to everyone. In a society where Capitalism is king and people engulf themselves in celebrity love triangles, the average person loses site of what is truly important in the whole scheme of things. The true essence of humanity is simply lost in the shuffle of our everyday lives and the innocence of young children is shaped into a materialistic mindset driven by today’s media.

What does this all mean?

The world is far more reaching than that in which we know or are familiar with! When you walk out your front door in the morning do you see drug deals going down? Do you see someone begging for change to purchase a meal? Do you see a widowed mother with three children who is unable to feed?

Take an introspective look at your life and recognize the wealth that you have, the opportunities that you have been given and the power that you have to make a difference. Although you may not be able to solve world hunger or resolve the issues of the globe, you are able to create a major impact close to home within your own community. Volunteer at a food bank, support your local religious groups, walk an elderly person across the street or simply offer a smile to a stranger walking by.

The key is to spread the positive energy around and to commit yourself to bringing about change…a positive change. It is possible to make the world a better place to live and it’s important to know that the power is within all of us to make it happen and that’s why the world needs you to take action and TO TAKE ACTION NOW! Don’t wait, don’t make excuses and don’t say you’re too busy. Just do it and DO IT WITH SINCERITY! The world will reward you and you will harvest the fruits of your efforts for many years to come!

Compensation comes in many forms such as the feeling of seeing a hungry child smiling after days without proper nourishment or a lonely elderly person excitedly anticipating your visit. A price cannot be put on these moments as they are the memories that will shape you and empower you into becoming the individual that you whole heartedly would like to be. That person lies within you at this moment…you simply need to just let that person free!


Offering you all the best in your efforts,
-Motivator

This article is dedicated to the “Chip In” initiative at Frito Lay Canada in their charitable efforts to make a difference across our great country. Best of luck and best wishes!