A sentiment I totally agree with. Spotted on Where the Lovely Things Are, available for purchase here.
Giving It Away
In what I find to be one of the best stories I’ve heard this year, a Canadian couple in their 70’s won the lottery this past summer.
An $11.2M win.
As of now, the money’s all gone. It’s all gone, because they gave away every bit of it. First, taking care of family, and then they went on to give to charities that they had agreed on between the two of them. As the couple repeatedly says, they’re just happy to have each other.
Read a little more about them here:
http://www.mediaite.com/print/canadian-couple-wins-11-2-million-in-lottery-donates-it-all-within-four-months/
or Here:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/885532—couple-gives-away-11-2m-in-lottery-winnings?bn=1
Maybe we should all give a little more?
A study conducted by the World Bank last year estimates that $12 billion a year is necessary to address childhood malnutrition. At the moment, the overall spending on malnutrition is 350 million dollars a year. MSF is actually one of the five largest contributors. We alone cannot respond to all the needs.
–Sophie Delaunay, MSF Executive Director
Sign the petition to help fight childhood malnutrition!
(via doctorswithoutborders)
Via Doctors Without Borders
Making a Difference at Every Age
Everyday we give.
We give hugs. We give smiles. Sometimes we give clothes, food, or medicine. Hopefully we all give our time to things we think are important.
I know these days how hard it can be to give money and things. I’ve stood in line to pick up paperwork to start receiving food stamps. I got lucky, though, and found a new job just two weeks after that, allowing me to struggle through.
I know how hard it can be to give your time. I’ve worked three jobs simultaneously and know the exhaustion that sets in when you stumble home and are doing well to just get the laundry done and dishes washed.
But small gestures and a few minutes can mean the world to someone else. It can end up meaning the world to you too. And it’s never too early to start giving, or too late. At any age there’s something you can do to help, and usually it takes such little effort it’s surprising.
Here are two stories of giving at very different ages, and the vastly different things that can make a difference. One gives food and company, the other gives shoes and fun.
The first is the tale of two women in their 80’s from my home state who run a kitchen that gives out food to what they call the 5 H’s: the hungry, helpless, homeless, hopeless, and the home-bound. Volunteers give their time to cook, clean, and go to the houses of the home-bound to give food along with company. Two women who spend their later years doing nothing but giving. 
The second story is of a boy who decided to start giving at the age of 10. Now 14, he’s helped put shoes on the feet of 1,300 Tampa children. Fourteen. He talks about how a pair of shoes can allow a kid to play outside and participate in everyday activities. How something so small can help a kid feel like a kid. 
It just goes to show you, you’re never too young to make a difference. You’re never too old to make a difference.
You simply have to decide that you want to make a difference.
A student with cerebral palsy gets to live his dream of making a touchdown.
