The idea comes to you like a lightning bolt. A-ha, that's it! It's the
perfect gift. It is thoughtful and personal and it will bring great joy
to the other person. You can imagine their face when they open it; the big smile, the surprised and delighted eyes and perhaps a tear or two.
It's the kind of shared joy you want to experience in person. You just
can't wait to give it.
Have you ever given that perfect gift? Have you ever experienced the
sheer bliss and excitement that comes with it? Your delight is unrelated to any acknowledgement or accolades you might receive in return. It comes from deep inside you - from your desire to bring joy to others.
My perfect gift was birthed when I took a huge leap of faith and
unabashedly followed my calling. I had been speaking, teaching and
coaching people on how to be unstoppable for over a decade while a deeper passion had been evolving. I had been involved in many
philanthropic endeavors throughout the past years that brought me sheer joy. But over the last couple of years, a deeper calling emerged.
Something captured my heart like never before. In my travels to
undeveloped countries, I witnessed children and their families barely
surviving and living without hope of a better future. I also saw a few
communities where the children actually had a school to go to, but they were nothing more than shacks made of sticks, dung and dirt floors.
These children literally ran to these huts in pure delight for the
opportunity to learn and have hope for a better future. The fact that
120 million children, 30% of whom live in Africa, will never step foot
into a classroom was something that haunted me.
Feeling called to do something to support these children and their
communities, I started to do research and found that there is no magic bullet to eliminate poverty. But if there was something close to magic, it would be universal primary education. Education has a larger impact than any other form of help or aid we can give. Studies show that for every year of education a child receives, HIV rates go down, early pregnancy rates decrease and earning potential increases. Just by
learning to read and write 171 million people could be lifted out of
poverty.
With that information, I got inspired to create my first project. In 2008, I decided to turn my birthday into a fund-raiser and invited everyone I knew to a party to help me with this mission. That evening was truly magical for all who attended and we raised $80,000 that helped fund two schools in Uganda in partnership with Vivian Glyck, Founder of
Just Like My Child Foundation.
That night I got hooked! I thought if I could raise the money to build two schools in one night, what could I do if I really put my mind to it?
It was now a full-blown passion of mine.
The following two years, I shared this mission with virtually everyone I
encountered and have raised enough money to build 11 schools in Africa and educate a few thousand children. While I was deeply grateful for what we had been able to do so far, I was compelled to do more.
This past summer, I went on my fourth trip to Africa and visited the
communities we were in partnership with. When I arrived, I was unaware that I was about to receive the perfect gift.
We were met by the entire community. There were hundreds of people who had lined the streets, waiting for hours in the sun for our arrival. As we made our way down the bumpy and dusty road, we were greeted by the mamas and their children who were singing and dancing. Elders of the community and parents had come for miles to welcome me and the group of
donors who joined me in this trip to thank us for our partnership. It
was a huge celebration with a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of one of the school's we had funded and I joined the women as we danced our way into the building that represented such hope for this community.
In that moment, they were giving me the perfect gift. Their smiles of
gratitude and open hearts were the most treasured gifts I had ever
received.
When I came home from that trip I knew what I had to do. I could no
longer participate in this amazing work on a part-time basis. Now keep
in mind, I was single with no financial support coming from any other sources but my own business. My live coaching courses and speaking engagements were my primary source of income and if I weren't doing both, I wasn't bringing in enough money to support myself. While the idea of leaving the security of my business petrified me, I called my associates and said it would no longer be business as usual and that I was now focusing 100% of my energy on my mission.
Leaving my business behind, I came up with my first project. I would
leverage the relationships I already had and invite leaders in the
personal development, business, and internet marketing world to do
something that's never been done before. I would ask them to donate
their best-selling programs to my foundation for free - some currently
selling for hundreds and even thousands of dollars - to generate
donations to help educate children.
That's how GiveALittleGetALot.com
<http://www.unstoppablefoundation.org/cmd.php?Clk=4025511> was born. My
goal was to create a new way of funding this important mission that went beyond just asking for donations - I wanted it to be a campaign that tangibly rewarded the giver and the receiver.
I put a strategy together and hit the phones. My mentors encouraged me
to call at least three people each day to ask them for support in whatever capacity they could contribute. Even if their answer was 'no' that was okay. What was more important was getting into consistent action.
As I shared my vision with deep conviction, people started stepping up. Experts were happy to donate their amazing products to the cause and friends stepped up to contribute to help fund the launch. I even got a
sponsor who donated money for the campaign. All of these small (and
large) miracles began to happen because I had the courage to take the first step.
By the time I was ready to launch GiveALittleGetALot.com
<http://www unstoppablefoundation.org/cmd.php?Clk=4025511> on November
30, 2010, I had 30 bestselling authors and experts donating products that they were currently selling for hundreds (even thousands) of dollars each - for free - for a small donation to educate a child!
If you have ever had fear or anxiety about what it would take to follow
your passion, I hope that my story will encourage you to take your first
steps. You don't need to know how it will all work out, you only need to
have faith that when you are committed, you will be supported. As you connect with a Divine calling that is bigger than yourself, miracles
await you.
My wish is for you to experience the joy of giving the perfect gift this
holiday season. One way to take your first steps is to go to
GiveALittleGetALot.com
<http://www.unstoppablefoundation.org/cmd.php?Clk=4025511> and
register. You will have an opportunity to not only give yourself the gift of educational tools that can change your life, but you'll receive
the gift of knowing that you've transformed the life of a child forever.
Cynthia Kersey
Chief Humanitarian Officer
Unstoppable Foundation
Shared by: Lawyer Asad
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