Circa 2001, I was in 7th grade when a national level NGO—Cancer Aid Society conducted a cancer awareness program in my high-school! They told us about the dangers of smoking cigarettes and made a great presentation on the subject. They demonstrated how they are helping people in our society, and it made a great impact on my young mind to say the least.
Prior to this event, I hadn’t heard about anything like this happening at a large scale at all. While I felt sad about so many people who were affected but the initiative seemed impressive. There was a ray of hope for people out there. There were people making life a little bit easier for those affected.
Towards the end of their presentation, they asked us kids at school if we would be interested in helping them with their awareness campaign by talking to our respective family members and neighbours about the ill-effects of smoking cigarettes, symptoms, causes and treatments for cancer. They also gave us a few information cards/pamphlets and requested us to help raise some funds by seeking out donations.
I went back home, assembled my parents and grandparents together and informed them about the cancer awareness program at school, and my desire to raise donations to help cancer patients. Surprisingly, everyone in my family agreed and enthusiastically donated towards the cause. Having raised INR250 and INR50 from my lil’ piggy bank saved over the course of nearly a year, I set about my neighbourhood seeking donations. I roped in a friend along with me and we went door to door.
Some were willing to hear us out, others wouldn’t entertain us beyond the free information we provided. Many were simply willing to donate some money but lacked interest in reading the pamphlet. High on idealism and energy I simply refused to take their money, until they read the card in front of me. Many were kind enough to spare their time and donate a few rupees and about 2 days later I had amassed a grand total of INR650 ($10 today).
It was an incredible amount. I’d never held that much money at the time in my hands. The most I had achieved in my ‘piggy bank’ was couple of hundred rupees after a year or so of saving. But I found no hesitation in giving some of it away.
So, I went to school with the money, being very careful about it and gave it to the organization. I had a proud moment when I found out that I had raised the maximum donations towards the cause as an individual in my school and they gave me this little trophy and I felt like I had changed the world a little bit.
This was when I first truly felt within me that philanthropy was something I could do in my spare time, some time in life when I was capable of giving back to the society around me.
In my 10th grade, I helped a man by paying him for his train tickets back home when he narrated how his valuables were stolen on his journey. I found out later that this was a common tactic that scammers used. But, there was no way to verify and this could’ve been true!
I realized how bad this could be if it were true, when I was put in this situation when my valuables and laptop was stolen 2 years ago on a trip.
Looking back I'm glad I helped him out even as his phone number never worked, and he never returned the money that he promised he would. That's okay. I learnt two lessons here and life sorted itself out.
Today, as I write this story I’ve come to realize that giving away a little of what I have doesn’t make me poorer. Having earned my own money through hard work and effort, I don’t feel the pinch, or an empty feeling in my gut after transferring a big chunk of my money towards a cause that I think is helping make our world a better place to live. But, I don't let anyone compel me or influence my decisions and only refer to my better judgement.
I don’t indulge in any casual lending but I love assisting charitable causes because of a simple truth in my life, 'I’ve always received more than I needed in my life and always have some spare to give!'
By doing some things correctly I've earned goodwill of many and that's more than I could have asked for. It's important that we pay it forward whenever we can. It'll go a long way in improving somebody's life in ways you can never imagine! On Steemit I always think first of @gardenofeden and the work they are doing in their community.
Remember, money is just a means to an end. You can never take it with you when it's time to kick the bucket. Make a positive difference in somebody's life if you have an opportunity to do so or take the initiative yourselves.
Steemit has helped me make a positive difference in many more lives as a direct result of my increased earnings. I've cultivated a habit to get involved in some community initiatives from time to time organised through my immediate social circle. I’ve also donated $1000 over the past month and i’ll share some details about the same very soon.
A little insight into what I’ve done over the past year:
- Starting 2017 with a Bang by Bringing Joy to HIV Positive Kids!
- Paying It Forward: Quick Recap of Few Good Things Done Right in 2016
I'm proud to say that your support on my work on Steemit has enabled all this.
Have you ever experienced kindness from a stranger? I'd love to hear your story in the comments below.
If you like my work, please share my posts and follow my blog to support me. You may also continue reading my recent posts which might interest you:
- TheQuint Features My Story as an Early Adopter to Bitcoin, Steemit & More!
- Let's Talk—How To Deal Effectively with Steemit Skeptics on Facebook and Reddit!
Great article @firepower! My first experience of feeling like I wanted to help people was when I was in 7th grade, and my dad used to smoke cigarettes. I had heard a lot about the effects of smoking and I really wanted him to stop, but talking to him about it didn't seem to make any difference. So I researched and wrote a speech for a class project about all the reasons why smoking is bad for a persons health, and I presented it to my class, and to him. Lol sound familiar. A few years later he did eventually quit :)
I absolutely agree that philanthropy is an important part of life. And I don't think I would be happy if I wasn't involved in these kinds of activities. I think that once I became aware of certain social and humanitarian issues, I couldn't ignore them. I had to take part. Sort of like once you have the problem starting you in the face, you have to take some responsibility for it, in whatever way you can. I think we are all faced with this challenge. And it takes perseverance sometimes to take responsibility for things that are so much bigger than us. But I think it's harder to ignore them. And it's really worth doing something to help in the end. Thanks so much for sharing this! :)
Thank you Natasha for sharing this with me! I'm glad to know that he quit smoking daily. Overdoing anything can lead to terrible consequences sometimes. It would've been great to see your presentation I'm sure. It certainly had a positive impact on your dad, which I think is great!
It's hard for me to shy away from facing situation as they come. If i'm in a position to help, I try. 90% of the time I'm able to help, but sometimes it might not be possible.
I'm happy to see you stop by on my blog and take the time to read and write back such a wonderful reply! :)
God Bless You Mate....Good things come to those that give.
Thank you so much :)
Well done post @firepower. You deserve for getting Upvote from me. I appreciate on it and like it so much . Waiting for your latest post. Keep your good work and steeming on. Let's walk to my blog. I have a latest post. Your upvote is high motivation for me. Almost all Steemians do their best on this site. Keep steeming and earning.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Keep steeming. Cheers! :)
U are welcome @firepower please visit my blog and help by Upvoting
This comment has received a 0.08 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @hamzaoui.
This comment has received a 0.07 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @hamzaoui.
This karma thing really works
It surely does :)
This is a good post from your side. Everyone should do help to others which are in need of help. Do help and you will get help too. And it is good to be charitable from a young age. We should be charitable and encourage others to do the same. Our a small help can be very helpful for others. In india we can see many of the people help the beggers. I am not saying donating to beggers is a kind of charity but it is not completely different. Upvoted buddy.keep up the good work.
It is the parents who can motivate their child to be a charitable person from a very young age, when people know that their charity will go in the right hands and will not be misused then everyone wants to help others, but due to some corrupt governments and fake NGOs people took the charity in their own hands, especially in Asian countries like India and Pakistan @firepower
True that. But then there are some really good people out there doing some amazing and great things and that matters the most.
Thank you so much. Glad you could share your views with me. Cheers! :)
You are great buddy. Almost everyone feels sad when they hear about other peoples sad stories but only a very few helps them only.
Help should be given at the necessary time else it would not be useful. God pays u back for every things you do, if u do good to others u 'll get it back.
All the best buddy and keep the good work.
I completely agree with you. Thanks for dropping by. Cheers! :)
My friend, I could have written this myself. I was raised so as not to ignore the misfortunes of others. When I have the opportunity I always try to help those who are less fortunate than me. Sometimes I find myself walking in front of a homeless and ignoring him. As soon as I realize I go back to ask him how he is doing and if he needs something. It makes me feel much better. I can not give these people much but at least a moment of happiness or a simple smile.
This is the part I liked the most: "Many were simply willing to donate some money but lacked interest in reading the pamphlet. High on idealism and energy I simply refused to take their money, until they read the card in front of me" this says a lot about your personality and I like it.
Resteeming this beautiful article hoping that others could take something from it. By the way, I'm Steven. Hope we can connect some time :)
Thank you. Glad you shared your views. Nice to meet you Steven.
I want to thank you for sharing this post. Its straight FirePower! We must all give in order to receive.
Thank you. Glad I could make a difference :)
This is the most selfless dedicated work you have been doing where those beautiful souls are gonna bless you for eternity and that's an amazing achievement.
Kudos to you!
Thanks dude! :)
One must give to get
think so
True that.
its all about making a difference
Yes, make a difference and change the world ;)
I have a great kindness of stranger story. I was cooking at a camp ground and tried to pickup a cast iron pan. I ended up burning my hand really bad and had no ice. Luckly a fellow camper had some and came over and offered it. I am really glad he did my hand hurt so much :(
Glad to know you had someone by your side. :)
This is a wonderful post! I love that you are spreading kindness and giving. I have been affected by the kindness of strangers in my life countless times when I was living houseless on the streets. I would have to ask strangers for food. It was embarrassing and depressing but the kindness one person shows makes up for the 20 people before them in the way of hope.
I'm sorry to hear about that. I Hope things are better for you now. God bless!
It is! God bless you too! and thank you...
It's a shame that there are always panhandlers willing to lie about their sob stories, as they can be very compelling and tough to resist.
true that!
very inspiring,keep doing what you doing.
Thank you so much. Glad I could make some difference. :)
Hey buddy,
I must say, this post really appealed to the philanthropist within me. Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much. I am glad it made a difference. Cheers! :)
I think that we can connect with other people if we share our experiences/money/informations/food..
True. We surely do :)
True. Catch them young for their gud.
Yeah. Doing my part :)
it's so great that you wrote this for those who need help , those who smoke cigarettes and maybe some of them become ill and they take cancer , but you know cancer is not just for smoke , I saw some people are not smokers and they take cancer , and some people smoking till 70 or 75 years old and nothing happen to them , I spent a long time trying to change someone who smoked cigarettes but there is no way , the only person who can make someone stop smoking is that person himself , he have to choose it by himself. nobody can change their life style , and I think smoking is became a life style in these years. but I am really happy to see that you did this great work. you are a real perfect human. thanks for sharing this with us.
let it
Thank you so much. Glad you could share your views with me.
@firepower always a good post brother hope ya good keep on steeming on e
Thanks brother :)
Keep inspiring and making a difference one day at the time!
Thank you so much. Best wishes to you. :)
Thank you.
Couldn't have put it better myself
Yayy! :)
I've found that when you are ready to give you are also ready to understand when it's time to take. It's like you have to play the game to know how it works, not sure I've explained myself, but cheers (:! Upvoted and followed! Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for your views! :)
Charity is beautiful. Whatever you give you get more in return. Unexpectedly. Plus the beauty, happiness and warmth you feel when giving out a charity is bliss.
Charity begins at home
True that. I completely agree :)
I have two people in my family fighting cancer right now one 5 years and the other 55 I enjoyed this post.
I hope they get all the strength to over this tough situation.
I recently recommended a book that explained the virtues of charity as a moral obligation "The richest man in babylon" you should check it out because i think i know the way you think :P
Awesome! Good going. Will check it out ;)
"We rise by lifting others." ~ Robert Ingersoll
:)
I am glad to read your story about philanthropy. It is often said one has to give to receive. In the bible there's a verse that says a giving hand is more blessed than a receiving one. So just know that u are receiving blessings and I wish u all the best in all u do . Thank you for sharing
True that. I am glad you cold share your views :)
When i was 10 years old, I donated my entire life savings of $15 to the Red Cross. Some years ago it was discovered that organization is one of the most corrupt on Earth. Sad panda.
That's really sad to know.
Ah, well. Wherever there is money, there is corruption. C'est la vie.
Great story, it's awesome to see how you've gone from working hard to donate $10 to now, where you are able to donate amounts as high as $1,000.
My best charity experience was when a few friends & I got together to put on a charity event in Brooklyn... we ran a successful 48 hour event and raised many thousands of dollars for charity. There is really no better feeling than that of ambitious philanthropy.
Thank you so much. Good to see you are doing your part as well. Cheers! :)
Welcome @firepower :) hope you enjoy here as much as i do !! Nice post, i will follow your account, please follow me at @levani144
Thanks!
Great post! Smoking is number one enemy for a person. A lot of illnesses due to smoking!
True that. Smoking is bad. Period!
interesting post man!
Thanks man :)
Totally in agreement here. It's a part of development of character. Might not do you any good today but some day in the future you will realize small decisions you make would be affected about the things you gave back to the community.
My Dad use to take me to feed the poor. We called it street feeding. I use to do that a lot on my saturdays and I can say that if I did not go through that experience as a young kid, I'd probably be a spoiled adult right now. Even worse if I was ungrateful for every curve ball life threw at me and so full of myself.
Everyone has those tendencies, but doing things for the community would reduce those tendencies to say the least. Cheers! Just my 5 cents worth.
#upvoted #follow4follow
Thank yo so much. Glad you could share your experience here with me. God Bless!
Kids are born naturally with a deep understanding. Unfortunatley some lose this gift with age. What you are saying is of huge importance. And I think every kid should experience volunteering in a non-profit organisation
Thank you. Glad you agree
Little anecdote regarding " sharing is caring "
Not so long ago I was sitting in my car in a parking lot having a sandwich. As I finished my sandwich and I was about to drive away, a homeless lady around the age of 60 was next to my car going through the trash looking for food. She found some fries with ketchup, and as she pulled them out of the trash, the ketchup fell on the ground. This did not stop her from using the ketchup. Amazed by all this, I got out and offered her my bag of carrots I was keeping as an afternoon snack ( I never give cash as it might get turned in to drugs / cigarettes / alcohol / ... I prefer to give something of actual value )
As I approached her and asked if she felt like some carrots instead, her first question was " Are you sure you can miss them? "
I often saw video's on youtube where guys handed over some food to a homeless guy, and then an actor showed up pretending to be homeless himself and asking for a piece of the food that the real homeless person just received. The homeless guy without a doubt shared his food. Turns out that it's true, people that have literally nothing, get the greatest joy out of sharing the little things they do have, or in my case making sure I could really do without my carrots.
I encourage all of you to try it out yourselves!
True that. There are some beautiful souls out there who are doing their part.
Thank you-- and a very inspiring post! For me, charity was also instilled by my parents when I was young... and I learned appreciation for the joy of being able to give some of what you make through hard work to people who will truly benefit... and who need it.
My first experience was in grade school-- we raised money for a children's home; we got people in the community to sponsor us for swimming laps in the school pool... it was a donation "per lap." I think some of my sponsors were a little surprised that I actually swam 103 laps... at age 10. It was a great experience... really learned that it is "rewarding to give."
Thank you so much. I am glad you shared your views and know you are doing a good part out there.
This post was super strong. I thought you might be interested in this:
How to do Good with Data:
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Doing-good-with-Data-Development-of-a-Data-Literacy-Maturity-Model-for-facilitating-data-driven-social-innovation-in-NGOs
Thanks.
Good on you spreading words of love and generosity!
Thank you! I am glad to be doing my part :)
You always need to help the people that need it.. One day or another everything returns to yo in different forms.
The universe works on equivalent exchange..
Cheers for the good pos
Thank you for sharing your view :) It surely does make a difference out there :)
i commend younger people who can do this. its so touching!
We gotta get them to our community too :)
Thank you. Yes, we should :)
It is good to always give out...
Always, indeed.
True Youth is a very important time for a person. I like this post
Thank you so much. Glad you liked it :)
Of course ... may continue to share.
Morning shows the day .oneday you would have been reached at this point, may be your mom knew that when you showed your good performance as you narrated in your post. You are a genius person, I get great inspiration from you in this world. I want to see my son rahul in your level.yesterday I wrote a poem mentioning your name, please don't mind. Thank you so much for upvote.
Thank you so much for the beautiful kind words. I'm looking forward to read the poem. :)
Good initative @firepower , keep up the good work...Very inspiring and touching...
Thank you so much. Cheers!
Hey friend can you help my promote my music by reposting one of my rap videos on your page please 😬
Will take a look at it.
Thank you so much. Keep continuing what you are doing, you will do wonders. Cheers! :)