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all one's life, graduate from, in need of, care for, treat… as…, be known as, of one's own, be responsible for, carry sb. through, at times |
Tim Richter and his wife, Linda, had taught for over 30 years near Buffalo, New York—he in computers, she in special education. "Teaching means everything to us, "Tim would say. In April 1998, he learned he would need a heart operation. It was the kind of news that led to some serious thinking about life's purpose.
Not long after the surgery, Tim saw a brochure describing Imagination Library, a program started by Dolly Parton's foundation (基金会) that mailed a book every month to children from birth to age five in the singer's hometown of Sevier, Tennessee. "I thought, maybe Linda and I could do something like this when we retired, " Tim recalls. He placed the brochure on his desk, "As a reminder".
Five years later, now retired and with that brochure still on the desk, Tim clicked on imaginationlibrary. com. The program had been opened up to partners who could take advantage of book and postage discounts.
The quality of the books was of great concern to the Richters. Rather than sign up online, they went to Dollywood for a look-see. "We didn't want to give the children rubbish, "says Linda. The books—reviewed each year by teachers, literacy specialists, and Dollywood board members—included classics such as Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day and newer books like Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama series.
Satisfied, the couple set up the Richter Family Foundation and got to work. Since 2004, they have shipped more than 12, 200 books to preschoolers in their area. Megan Williams, a mother of four, is more than appreciative, "This program introduces us to books I've never heard of."
The Richters spend about $400 a month sending books to 200 children. "Some people sit there and wait to die," says Tim. "Others get as busy as they can in the time they have left."
Shawn Seipler is on the way to saving lives with soap. It began about seven years ago as a tiny business with a few friends and family in a single car garage in Florida, where they recycled used soap into fresh bars. The organization, now called Clean the World, has grown to include cities where hotels are plentiful and used bars of soap can be gathered easily.
As a frequent traveler while working for a tech company, Seipler had a sudden thought one night at a hotel. "I picked up the phone and called the front desk and asked them what happened to the bar of soap when I was done using it, "he recalled. Learning that they would go to the dustbin, he began his task to help save lives with soap and even half-used bottles of shampoo. It's a huge problem. One of the most common kinds of illnesses in the world are those that are passed from person to person and to oneself because of dirty things that are on one's hands.
In the U. S. and other developed nations, hygiene (卫生) products are everywhere. Not so in some other countries, where Seipler recalled visiting a hospital once in the Middle East to find that soap was in such short supply that patients had to provide their own. "It's such an important part of the interruption of infectious germs that could save so many lives," he said.
Clean the World now collects used soap from more than 4, 000 hotels and has delivered 25 million bars to 99 countries. The process is fairly simple with the collected soap being cut into pieces and then run through machines that remove any remaining bacteria before being pressed into new bars of soap and packaged for delivery.
Difficult financial times don't mean your giving shuts down. Instead, they allow you to examine how your time and money are spent. There are so many ways to give back that won't hurt your wallet and will enrich your life.
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Calling someone "for no reason" is an important opportunity to show them that you are thinking of them. You are taking time out of your busy day to reach out. Everyone needs someone to just listen sometimes. Be there to celebrate their good news, or support them.
·Write a note
While some people enjoy receiving gifts, all of us appreciate a kind word. It is one thing to say it, What if you wrote a thank-you note to someone every week?
·Invite someone over for dinner
You never know what someone might be going through on just a bad day. In addition, it costs less than going out. The leftovers from this dinner can be packaged up for homeless people. That's double giving!
·Set aside money from a daily routine to donate
Giving doesn't have to mean a life full of sacrifices. You can still buy a burger or get your nails done. But, instead of buying much coffee every week, you can drink less.
A. Pick up the phone
B. Remember to visit others
C. so you can put yourself to a new level.
D. They may be filled with joy or sadness.
E. but it can be even more meaningful to put it in writing.
F. Opening up your home will make someone feel appreciated.
G. Donate the money you save: even $5 can make a difference in someone's life.
I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people 1 I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a 2 person.
I think my 3 started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my 4 and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever 5 to anyone in my class. By the end of my first semester, I was really 6. It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So I tried a(n) 7. I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I 8 to help. That was really a big 9 for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of 10 are still my best friends today.
A bigger cause of my new 11, however, came when I took a part-time job at Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer's disease became my 12. Every time I came into her room, she was so 13 because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never 14 her, so I took her place. She let me 15 that making others feel good made me feel good too. When she died, I was 16, but I was also very grateful to her.
I think I am a much 17 person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not 18 these experiences. They have 19 me to care about other people more than about myself. I 20 who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.
