While much of what we do here at A Glimmer of Hope revolves around situations that are absolutely heartbreaking, we are lucky enough to work in an environment where we hear incredible stories of hope and inspiration almost every day.
Our staff meetings don't center around budget goals or income projections, we talk about women who lives have been totally transformed and uplifted through the power of a small microfinance loan and communities that will never again spend hours collecting their drinking water from a filthy, stagnate pond they shared with their animals.
We talk about children who have an opportunity to do something with their lives because of the new school in their village. We hear about farmers who will never again have to depend on rainfall to be able to feed their families.
We also hear some amazing stories of young people here who have been moved enough to reach out to those who live in desperate need in rural Ethiopia.
For example, the children of St. Paul's Christian Day School in Brenham, Texas. St. Paul's is an early childhood program that has about 240 children in the 12 months to 3rd grade range and during the recent Lent season, these children deposited their allowances and any other change they could find into a make-shift well to raise money for the Water to Thrive* campaign.
By Easter, the pastor of St. Paul's needed help to take 400lbs of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to a local bank. The children had raised more than $3,000 in 40 days - all of it in coins - to go towards a deep borehole well project in the village of Gedamba.
I believe raising awareness around the poverty that exists in Ethiopia today is just as important as anything we do here at A Glimmer of Hope. And to see that message reach young people from kindergarten to college - who then become engaged and take action to be the change-makers in our society - is incredibly heartwarming.
Another good example is Austin, Texas high school junior Sameer Paul who raised $14,200 for a school near Dembi Dollo by organizing the Golfing for Glimmer charity golf tournament. He was moved to do something after learning about the harsh reality that exists for those who are in need.
This month, five students from the Austin Tennis Academy (ranging in age from 12-16) will travel to Ethiopia to attend the official opening of two schools and a reservoir they funded through their Playing for Glimmer campaigns. Altogether, the academy has raised and donated almost $300,000 to A Glimmer of Hope over the past four years and the players taking this trip are sure to drive an increased level of engagement in the years to come.
"We're so privileged here [in America] to have running water, electricity and a place to sleep. They're just basic things we take for granted that people in Ethiopia don't have," said 14-year-old Josh Hagar, one of the players about to visit Ethiopia for the first time.
I can only imagine the stories Josh will come home with for his friends.
My personal excitement is to witness the fulfillment and joy that comes with the act of true giving and the life that it shapes and forms. It's not about the amount of money that is given; it only matters where the giving comes from within.
Who knows how profoundly impacted these young people will be and what they will do with their lives?
