Yay for generous neighbours. The kids spent an hour today canvassing the neighbourhood with the goal of raising $50. They came home with more than $135 in coins to donate to the Red Cross Haitian Relief Fund. Only about one half of the neighbours we visited were home and so they have plans to head out again tomorrow with their buckets, their rehearsed spiel and the small painted hearts with hand lettered thank yous that they gave after every donation. There was more than one occasion when I felt the lump rise in my throat as our neighbours greeted the kids warmly and thanked them genuinely for their efforts to make a difference. The largest donation they got was $5 or so, and so we were pleasantly surprised at the finally tally. The donation will be matched by Kevin's employer and then matched again by the Canadian government program, meaning that in an hour they generated more than $500 worth of donations for Haiti. For them, it's a great lesson about the power of small change, a little legwork, and the value of a connected community. And it's a good reminder for me about how easy and empowering it is to support their natural inclination towards generosity and compassion.
We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.
~ Mother Teresa
ETA - the penny drive has continued and they have surpassed the $250 mark. Even more importantly their friends are all getting in on the act and these kids are doing such amazing, inspiring work.
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