A Culture of GivingDoug MacDougald — Stratford, ON
We have been immersed in a culture of giving on this Bangladesh Rotary distribution. Everybody we have worked with has this culture and gives of themselves 100% to the task at hand helping the poor children of Bangladesh. Of course, The people making this worthwhile purpose possible are the donors. Free will giving has to be driven by a personal culture of giving because no one is reminding us to donate.
The behind the scenes volunteers that administer Sleeping Children Around the World are the real unsung heroes and without them the OVOs and travelling teams could not do their work. They bring their culture to SCAW every day. The SCAW traveling volunteers that spread the word bringing a message and passion to their communities are the backbone of the funding and ongoing renewal of this charity. The OVO we travelled with, the Rotary Club of Dhaka, is deeply committed to SCAW and to helping the poor children of their country. These Rotarians give their time, resources, and money selflessly. They are passionate about their country's children, now, and in the future. None of this happens without a personal culture of giving and it doesn't just happen by accident. It takes individual drive to personally decide and implement charitable and service giving as one of our life purposes. The triggers for this are many: mentors, peers, a life experience, parents, community. Each of us can play a part in enhancing the culture of giving within our circle of influence by many ways, including teaching our children the culture of giving by helping the less fortunate children of the world.
This trip was a very personal reminder of my parent's generation and the culture of giving they showed by their selfless sacrifice in the Second World War. The Rotarians' leadership moved some distributions to the outlying poorer areas of Bangladesh, including the city of Jessore. This is the city where Walter, my Dad, was stationed in 1945 flying with an RAF crew. I was humbled by the Bangladeshis emotion and pride in the fact I wished to experience the city my Dad experienced 64 years ago. The Bangladeshi term for a son of a person that fought for their land is "son of the soil." I am honoured. |
