Do Your Giving While You Are Living: Inspirational Lessons on What You Can Do Today to Make a Difference Tomorrow

CHAPTER 1

Why Giving Matters

Giving matters! Consider for a moment the reasons why you give. What motivates you? Do you usually make a donation because someone you know or value asks you? Do you volunteer your time or offer your help because you want to give back to the community and do your share? Do you give because some illness afflicted you or someone you love, and you now feel it’s necessary to support that cause? Or, is it possible that you give because you have tapped into a deeper understanding of how to lead a more fulfilling and purposeful life?

When we give because others ask us, our giving is a tribute to those who work hard and do the asking. However, when we give because we ask it of ourselves and open our own hearts, the act of giving changes our lives. In this book, we call this type of giving inspired giving.

There are many ways to define the essence of giving. No one way is right or wrong, but inspired giving ultimately benefits both the giver and receiver and has powerful consequences for everyone involved. Inspired and purposeful giving also addresses the roots of a problem and seeks to better address its prevention rather than just its symptoms.

Understanding why giving matters in a spiritual way is one goal of this book. Examining why giving is life’s greatest joy and why acts of compassion are crucial to our existence is the other. We do not want to oversimplify the act of giving. Instead, we hope to introduce you to the reasons people give on a deeper level and focus on the reasons that matter most.

As we wrote this book, what fascinated us most was the depth at which some people find themselves compelled to live a more purposeful life through giving. It amazed us that those individuals who had very little and were closest to a malady or potential problem in some cases gave more than those who had the resources or time as well as the money but not the connection.

Many of us are silently appointed in life to give back because life deals us a challenge or an unfair break. How we deal with that incident, be it an illness or a tragedy, defines us on a higher level. These are the people who show us what it means to be courageous and compassionate. We recall the young mother who lost her child to a car accident and became involved in Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. We remember the businessman who was raised on the streets and returned to his roots to make life better for those people who are now in his same shoes. Or, how about the woman who feeds the hungry and devotes herself to that cause because she once knew a life of hunger?

Their courage and grace under fire inspires us. An illness or tragedy can shake up our spirit and motivate us to help others who suffer in a similar way. However, many individuals receive this call without a tragedy or motivating experience and respond because it’s the right thing to do.

It’s not just important to determine why giving matters, since we all know that it’s good to give. What really counts is, how do you define your personal relationship with giving? What type of giving lights a fire in you so deep that it finds its way to brighten someone else’s life? And lastly, what type of giving touches you in such a profound manner that in those simple acts of doing for someone else you discover that the light has ultimately brightened your own life in return? The star quality in this chapter makes us proud they are living a life of giving and know that all of us can emulate them with our own passion for giving.

HELP PEOPLE LIVE THEIR BEST LIVES

Caren Yanis, Executive Director,

Oprah Winfrey Foundations

OprahsAngelNetwork.org—OAmbassadors.org

For as long as I have a voice in this world, says Oprah Winfrey, my promise to children who have no voice is that they will be seen, they will be heard—because they matter. Creator of two foundations and a public charity, Oprah is one of the most visible and admired givers in the world.

The Oprah Winfrey Foundation is her private foundation, and The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation operates the Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Her public charity—Oprah’s Angel Network—gives her audience the opportunity to share in her enormous vision and profound ability to change lives. To help people live their best lives, Oprah’s Angel Network uses donations to award grants to not-for-profit organizations around the world that are improving access to education, developing leaders, protecting basic rights and creating communities of support. Through personal and corporate donations to the Angel Network and her foundations, millions of caring people all over the world join with Oprah in this life-changing work. The beneficiaries are many. Hundreds of children enjoy the beautiful new Boys & Girls Club in Kosciusko, Mississippi (Oprah’s hometown). Thousands of families throughout the Gulf Coast are benefiting from new homes and community improvement projects. Countless children around the world, from South Africa to Afghanistan to Ecuador, now have the chance to learn, thanks to schools funded through the Angel Network and the foundations. Recently, O Ambassadors launched. A joint project of Oprah’s Angel Network and Free the Children, O Ambassadors is a leadership program that inspires young people to be active, compassionate, and knowledgeable global citizens.

Caren Yanis began her association with Oprah in 2000 shortly after The Oprah Winfrey Show’s Angel Network segment evolved into a public charity. Prior to that, Caren worked with major magazines on social service projects and promotions. She is a dedicated volunteer who sits on a number of boards.

Every one of us gets through the tough times because somebody is there, standing in the gap to close it for us.

—OPRAH WINFREY

Watching Oprah Winfrey in action has been a life-changing experience. Oprah has an enormous giving heart and boundless empathy for people who have potential. For her, it’s all about providing opportunities to help people lift themselves up. One of my favorite quotes is by Lawrence Kushner who says, Entrances to holiness are everywhere. To me, that means going through life looking for doors that—if we go through them—could change a life or change our own lives. That’s really Oprah’s message—be ready to walk through that door, experience it fully, and give back however you can.

We’ve been working on projects in Africa for a number of years; in 2002, our ChristmasKindness initiative brought joy to kids in sixty-three schools in two provinces. They enjoyed a beautiful lunch underneath an enormous tent and went home with backpacks filled with toys, books, and supplies. This initiative moved many from Oprah’s audience and beyond to make generous donations, and with these funds, we were able to return to those same schools and do things like create small libraries and provide teachers with supplies and training. We also spent time with teachers and principals at hundreds of schools in Africa to identify children who had been orphaned, mostly by the effects of HIV and AIDS. Many of those kids were young—six, seven, eight years old—being raised by siblings who were not much older, with few clothes, with little of anything, really. The Angel Network provided more than 18,000 of these young people with uniforms so they could attend school. One principal whose students received the much-needed uniforms wrote us saying: Now my children can sing in a choir and feel proud. Now they feel they are accepted and part of a community. A new uniform and pair of shoes worked miracles that went well beyond the purpose of getting clothes on the backs of these kids so they could attend school. To see first hand the resilience and energy and hope out there gives you a perspective that goes way beyond ‘poster child’ philanthropy—it really supersedes the conspicuous consumerism we see every day in this country.

The foundations also give the givers the chance to lift themselves up. Whether it’s on the Gulf Coast or in Africa, I don’t think any of us have ever walked away feeling we’ve given more than we’ve gotten. When you work toward social change the return is huge, and it often comes from a place you don’t expect.

Don’t be afraid to step up to the plate to create social change you believe in! One of the worst things people can say is, I’m just one person, and I can’t affect change. Oprah’s philosophy is, I’m doing what I can do, now you go do what you can do. Everybody can affect change by learning about the issues and then speaking out. Or maybe by getting together with friends and starting a giving circle where you all come together once a month to address shared causes and passions and learn from one another. Friends then commit to a contribution—maybe it’s just $10 a month or maybe much more, but the idea is to commit. Certainly, you don’t have to have a TV show to make a difference; reach out at a dinner party or to your carpool to engage others in a cause you believe in. One wonderful woman wrote us about finding $5 on the ground as she was getting out of her car in a Wal-Mart parking lot. She picked up the bill, looked up toward heaven, and said, I know God sent this to me to send to Oprah’s Angel Network because she’ll know what to do with it.

Traveling with Oprah, we’ve been received with such love. She has such enormous compassion and respect for people in such dire situations. We’ve visited communities built on garbage dumps and shantytowns where the homes are all in complete disrepair. When we’re invited into one of these homes, Oprah will sit down and take someone’s hand, look them in the eye, and really listen to their story.

As Americans, we’re often drawn to the idea of helping individuals reach their dreams, but what’s often needed is a change in the system, getting to the root causes of poverty, hunger, and hopelessness. The Seven Fountains Primary School in South Africa was one of the schools we visited as part of the ChristmasKindness initiative. When we first visited the students of this school, they were learning in a well-cared-for building on a beautiful farm. But soon after we visited, their situation changed. With too many children attending the school, they were forced to relocate to a run-down building that had no electricity and no running water. Again, with the help of generous donations to our Angel Network, we were able to put together a resource team that included an architect, engineers, and educators. After a year of really getting to know the community and assessing its needs, goals, and dreams, we started to build a new school. The team even trained and then employed a group of local women to make bricks for the school by hand. An important thing to keep in mind is that the school was built for the same amount of money the government would have spent on a similar school, but it had electricity, water, a library, a computer classroom, and sports fields—all things which many impoverished South African schools do not have.

We’re now partnering with the South African government to build more schools using the same approach. Built on the hope of the local community, these schools offer security and safety and provide resources that benefit the entire community. We’re reminded all the time that just because you don’t have resources doesn’t mean you don’t have ability, creativity, humanity, and spirit. This work is about connecting as human beings, not as givers and recipients.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY

Challenge yourself to learn about the underlying reasons for a social problem you care about. Read widely, find people who understand the problem and can share with you what they know. Consider starting a giving circle to commit to a cause you care about. Talk with your local school or your child’s teacher about starting an O Ambassadors Club.

For more information, visit: OprahsAngelNetwork.org and OAmbassadors.org.

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

Dionne Warwick, World-Renowned Musician

and Philanthropist

Dionne Warwick is one of the world’s most accomplished musical icons and devoted humanitarians. With a celebrity star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she is dedicated to working with organizations that empower and uplift people in need. Her work as a socially conscious and concerned global citizen has prevailed throughout her career. Beginning with the acclaimed Don’t Make Me Over in December 1962, she has entertained audiences on every continent around the world with nearly sixty charted hits. She helped lead the music industry in the fight against AIDS, performed in 1984 at Live Aid, and was one of the key participants in the allstar charity single We Are the World. Warwick’s Grammy-winning single That’s What Friends Are For raised millions of dollars for AIDS research; throughout the 1980s, she proudly served as a U.S. Ambassador for Health.

In 1997, Warwick received the Luminary Award from the American Society of Young Musicians. That same year, she joined General Colin Powell in celebrating the tenth anniversary of Best Friends, an abstinence and character-building program for young women. She has served as FAO Ambassador of the United Nations, received a lifetime achievement award from the R&B Foundation, and was one of the 2003 Top Faces of Black History. In honor of her devotion to making a difference, her elementary school in East Orange, New Jersey,—Lincoln Elementary—honored her by being renamed The Dionne Warwick Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship.

He who lives in harmony with himself, lives in harmony with the universe.

—MARCUS AURELIUS

I was brought up with the belief that giving is a part of life. Being able to be of service to those who are not capable of serving themselves is so important. I learned this from my family and my grandfather, who I always say was the wisest man who ever walked the earth. To give and to share is a blessing in itself. Those are the things that I learned as a small child and I passed on to my children. Today they are passing it onto theirs.

One of my primary concerns has always been to educate others about health issues. You have to have health to survive. I have been speaking for thirty-five years for the ones without a voice. We must all focus on the art of loving, giving, and caring. These are words that are given to you, and it’s time to make them principles, for they are a must.

When I think of my music, it’s hard to pick one song that defines giving, since I treat all of my songs like my children. If I had to choose one, I’d say that What the World Needs Now personifies God, and God is love.

I could never imagine a world without music. Music is power. We would be lost souls without it. Music is a healer, and I know this to be true. I’ve been told my music has been used in hospices, hospitals, and homes for the elderly. It has a soothing quality; the lyrics are so meaningful to me, and they carry a message of healing. The music industry is filled with major healers, especially from my era.

When people wonder what can they do to make a difference, I believe it’s the smallest things that bring the greatest joy. A smile is one of the kindest things a person can give another—starting with the simple question, "How are you?" That registers with people, and I know it makes me feel good when people ask how I am doing or people smile at me. It doesn’t have to be giving away a million dollars, though that might help, but it’s the tiny things that matter, too.

I don’t consider myself a philanthropist. I see myself as a doer. My motto has always been, If you can think it, you can do it! One of my greatest pleasures is that I now have the complete pleasure of watching the elementary school named in my honor. Seeing my babies being creative and energetic about learning is such a joy. Seeing the gleam in their eyes to learn and move forward knowing that there is something wonderful at the end of the tunnel—it’s amazing and wonderful. Every time I go to the school to visit, I sneak in unannounced and watch from the back of the room. It’s something that will live on long after I’m gone, which is a wonderful thing to think that this little girl who went to Lincoln school now has seven hundred children going to a school in her name. My hope is that that they will always remember that about me; that I, Dionne Warwick, was there for