The best gift this year? Improve someone’s life
COMING TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOOD
The spirit of giving. We hear this phrase a lot, especially during the holiday season.
What does the spirit of giving mean? When you hear these words spoken time and time again, you can be desensitized to their true meaning.
Each year, our heartstrings are tugged and tested with a multitude of stories about misfortune and needs.
How do you respond? Do you stand idly by, or do you decide to pitch in?
This holiday season, I encourage you to make a difference in someone’s life. It won’t take much work and the reward you receive will be well worth your effort.
To make a positive impact on someone’s life, you first need to recognize an opportunity to make a difference and then decide to give.
You just need to read a newspaper or listen to what’s going on in our city to uncover a number of possibilities to make a difference.
Once you know where you want to help, the next part is easy — Give!
Give what you can to help out a neighbour, a friend, family member or a cause. I can tell you from my own experience that even the smallest donation can make an enormous difference in a person’s life. Even in a strengthening economy, there are people who need our help. Take a look at what you have, recognize what you have to be thankful for and resolve to help someone less fortunate.
Your donation doesn’t have to be monetary in nature. One of my most rewarding experiences comes from volunteering my time. Donating time and energy to a cause can mean more to an individual or organization than any dollar amount.
By acknowledging the need and then giving what you can, you are able to truly understand the spirit of giving.
I am proud to say I am part of an organization that truly believes in this philosophy. As a local co-operative, caring for our community is at the very core of Calgary Co-op’s culture. All through the year, we give to many organizations that assist worthy causes and those less fortunate. Looking at the list of this year’s recipients from the Calgary Herald Christmas Fund, it is apparent there is no shortage of support needed in our community.
We recently held our 20th annual Stuff a Bus food drive for the holidays in partnership with Calgary Transit and XL103FM. This event always reminds us just how generous Calgarians are. Raising $184,882.48 for the Calgary Food Bank in only one week, it is hard to put into words the emotion behind the collective efforts of our numerous member donors and volunteers.
When we come together to achieve a common goal, it is amazing what we can accomplish. Calgary Co-op has donated, and continues to donate, to many of the Calgary Herald Christmas Fund recipients. I encourage you to acknowledge the need for assistance in our city, and truly exhibit the spirit of giving.
Throughout my life, I have taken advantage of many opportunities to volunteer, donate and give back to my community. When my children were young, my wife and I would take them to our local food bank to volunteer, which taught them valuable lessons.
I remember during one of our volunteer trips a woman came in to receive food and then spoke about her life. She was a single mother who had lost her job and had to reluctantly rely on the food bank to provide for her children. I think that was the “aha” moment, when my own kids realized the spirit of giving.
Donate food, clothing, money or your time. You will be glad you did and every bit counts. It truly is better to give than to receive, and your spirit will be rewarded with a sense of goodwill.
Embrace the spirit of giving this year and make a difference in our Calgary.