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Too often people consider themselves as
nobodies and feel that they don't make an impact on society. Well, I have
some great advice for them. You can make a difference! I can relate to
those who do feel this way because I also feel this way at times. But
through support and motivation from others, I changed my outlook. The
following is true testimony which describes how a little seven year old
boy made a difference in the lives of hundreds
After Hurricane
Floyd caused the largest evacuation in U.S. history, Drew Humphrey,
7, saw hundreds of homeless kids on TV. "What will those
kids play with now?" he worriedly asked his mom. Nothing,
she replied -- the North Carolina children lost everything in
floodwaters. That's when the West Virginia boy said he'd give
them his toys, including his favorite "big Batmobile planes"
and whatever he got for his upcoming eighth birthday. Enter the
media: The Thomson newspaper group -- which owns two West Virginia
papers, The (Beckley) Register-Herald and the Bluefield Daily
Telegraph -- began writing about Drew. A $3,200 deluge of toys
and money came from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and
Kentucky. Four Wal-Marts set up collection sites. On Oct. 23,
a police escort led two UPS trucks and a 12-vehicle convoy to
where 300 kids waited for a share of 1,000 new toys. "It
was like Christmas for those kids," says newspaper editor
Frank Sayles, who helped hand out the toys. "And so many
people greased the wheels, including the state police, who helped
us breeze through the tollbooths." That day, Drew's family
also toured flood-ravaged areas. "Some people were crying,"
Drew says. "I prayed a little bit." His family adopted
nine flood families and still continue delivering beds, socks,
underwear and, yes, more toys. "We're just following up
on Drew's idea," says dad Ken. "It's made us think
a lot. My wife and myself, we're both teachers, but sometimes
the kids, they teach us."
http://usaweekend.com/diffday/honorees/2000/index.html#convoy
Next is a story of a man who
had nothing. He was homeless. One would think that it's pretty
hard for him to make an impact on someone's life.
"I wanted
to show people you can overcome any circumstances," says
Ed Dixon, 50. "Just because you're down and out, doesn't
mean you can't do something to make a difference." Down
and out is an understatement. In 1997, Dixon was separated from
his second wife, out of work, broke and unable to buy food for
son Paul, 15, who was living with him -- first in a small studio
apartment, then a warehouse and eventually an old van. He came
to Glory House Shelter to get free groceries but wouldn't leave
before telling the shelter's operator, Katy Jones, "If I
ever get the opportunity, I will repay your kindness somehow."
Last fall, Jones got a phone call: "I'm ready to repay you
for your generosity to me." Without an address or phone
and despite his appearance ("He looked like a homeless man,"
says Jones), Dixon persuaded the local Wal-Mart to give him space
for an Oct. 23 benefit concert. A local copier donated fliers,
and Dixon played guitar on the street to raise money for a sound
system. But there were obstacles. He had to pawn his keyboard
to pay for a new transmission in his van. In the end, a friend
loaned him speakers and a mike, and the concert reaped $1,000.
Dixon's luck also has turned. He's now in a government-funded
computer-training course and living at a local ministry. Already
planning next year's Make A Difference Day, he says, "You
ain't seen nothing yet."
http://usaweekend.com/diffday/honorees/2000/index.html
Finally, this last story explains
how three small children made a difference for a sick mother
who is was battling a terminal illness.
Last fall, Bobbie
Vaden, 41, was hospitalized with complications from lupus, an
energy-sapping arthritic illness that forced her to quit her
job. Nearly 2 million Americans have lupus; that's more than
AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia
and cystic fibrosis combined. "I was kinda scared, 'cause
I didn't know what was gonna happen," says daughter Diana,
10, who stayed with her best friend, Kristal DeRuise, 10, while
her mom was hospitalized. But then Kristal suggested they raise
money for lupus research. Says a choked-up Bobbie: "When
I was in the hospital, we were all scared, and to have Kristal,
a child, come forth ..." Kristal, brother Trevor, 8, and
Diana took action: Collecting round rocks from a nearby lake,
they worked at a kitchen table to paint them like ladybugs to
be sold for $2 each. For Make A Difference Day, they set a goal:
sell 500 ladybug rocks ($1,000) for the Lupus Foundation. "Lucky
Ladybugs for Lupus" opened for business Oct. 23 outside
Wal-Mart. Not only did the children meet the goal, but continued
ladybug production has earned $300 more. "Hopefully,"
Kristal says, "we'll give the Lupus Foundation enough money
so they'll find a cure."
http://usaweekend.com/diffday/honorees/2000/index.html
So in reading all these stories,
I hope that you realize that anyone can make a difference. No
matter if you're a seven year old or a fifty year old, you can
make an impact on someone's life if only you try. A nobody is a somebody to someone!
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