Saying ‘Yes’ To Helping Others
In lieu of my weekly weight loss post:
You might remember that this whole weight loss thing started with the New Year’s Resolution of saying ‘yes’ to living a more meaningful life. Part of the resolution was the commitment to saying ‘yes’ to losing weight – but the other part of the resolution was meant to get me to start saying ‘yes’ to new opportunities that presented themselves … instead of running away from them (like I had been).
Several weeks ago I was sifting through my Gmail and out of curiosity I decided to look in my “spam” mail box. Mind you, I NEVER do this and must have been excessively bored. I get hundreds of SPAM emails a day and never give it another thought. For whatever reason, my eyes were drawn to a email with the subject line: “POVERTY IN AFRICA, please read!”
At first I thought it was one of those scams that try and get you to release your bank account information, but it turns out that the email wasn’t SPAM at all. It was written by a middle school student named Quinn. She and her classmates Kelsey & Hazel were doing a social action project focused on Heifer International. She was asking me to help her spread the word about this organization via my blog.
Instead of deleting the email or responding with quick reply of ‘thanks, but no thanks’ – Paige and I decided to help them out (we have a soft spot for middle school girls). We took a road trip to Bellingham, Washington to meet the girls in person to hear what they had to say and then made a little video about it:
If you enjoyed this video or want to spread the word about Heifer International – please Tweet, Buzz, Stumble or post this video on Facebook. Let’s show Quinn, Kelsey and Hazel that their voices can invoke change and even at their age, they can make a difference through their actions.
“In order to move forward, you have to give something back.”
- Oprah Winfrey, Stanford University Commencement Speech, 2008
Tags: cnn, heifer international, ireport, Oprah, video
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 6:34 am and is filed under Daily. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Giyen, you are awesome, as are Paige, Kelsey, Quinn and Hazel. THANK YOU.
Giyen, I spotted this on iReport.com this morning and I was so proud of you! Committing to weight loss is one thing, but saying ‘yes’ to actions like this is incredible! Thanks for being such an inspiration.
Katie´s last blog post..Bonnaroo, at last
We have been sending presents of bees and cows from Heifer as Christmas presents for years. Great organization. I am so thrilled with you right now. And Hazel and Quinn and Kelsey.
Aimee Greeblemonkey´s last blog post..I Still Can’t Believe It.
This is a fantastic video. It is wonderful that these girls are so philanthropic already – and they still have their whole lives to keep giving and inspiring others to do the same. 2 years ago, I received a grant from Heifer International to go on an educator study tour to Honduras and see their work in action. It was amazing and inspiring – this is one organization that I will promote, no matter what! Thanks for saying YES!
Michelle´s last blog post..Cooking without a kitchen
Awesome video! What a great way to bring awareness to this important cause. Good for you, Paige, Quinn, Kelsey, & Hazel.
Asianmommy´s last blog post..Dim Sum Cupcakes
Wow — way to take it up a notch (or ten) from just a “cool blog” to a “blog that makes a world difference.” Good to see that you are using your popularity and power for good and not evil. ;o) Just when I think I couldn’t be prouder of you guys!
– PS: Love the “Paigey-poo” reference at the end.
Great post. If you have a moment, I think you’ll really enjoy this video — ahamoment.com/pg/moments/view/203 — it’s the “aha moment” when a musician discovered the joy in helping others, and it changed his life forever. The site was created by Mutual of Omaha to highlight good works, inspiring stories, and “aha moments” of all kinds. Perhaps you’ll even be inspired to share your own story.
Thanks,
jack@ahamoment.com
Hi Giyen,
I just love Twitter. (In a roundabout way I will come to a point.) Ever since my daughter and I started the Kids Are Heroes web site, I have been looking to feature kids that are working with Heifer International, only because I really believe in what they are doing. We now have over 70 kids featured doing some amazing things, but still no representatives of Heifer. I happened to tour a Heifer Global Village yesterday which resparked my interest in that organization. I tweeted about that experience this morning. Heifer Portland responded and since I was talking to the horse’s mouth so to speak I asked them if they had any stories about kids. They sent me to you and this wonderful video.
So I was hoping you could help me get in touch with them as I would love to feature them on our site. Thanks for visiting them!