Our
Giving World, The Sweetest Cup
by April
Cornell, Burlington, Vermont
 The
Indian culture is vibrant and diverse; its people dress in cheerful
colored fabrics and enjoy the beauty of each day. Looking back
it is natural that a country so rich in textile history and art
would become a good source country for our fledgling business
that is one part artist and one part businessman. Over the past
three decades we have developed many long-term relationships in
India, where we manufacture, create, and sometimes live and socialize.
The most meaningful of all of our activities in India however,
has been the world of giving back—the world that exists
beyond the walls of our offices and factories and in the depths
of the slums and remote villages.
As India enters the 21st Century with some of the best minds in
the world, it carries with it an underclass of poverty and ignorance.
Under its sister umbrella organization Concern India, our Giving
World Foundation funds many different projects in India including
street schools, a school for first-generation learners, a center
for the elderly, and daycare centers.
Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting a new micro enterprise
project where, in a "widow village," women are able
to create their own financial independence through goatery, raising
poultry, and tending kitchen gardens. Through raising one goat,
then two, and then four, they learn about expenses, profits, banking,
and insurance. They find a sense of confidence by contributing
to the local economy and creating examples of success in their
own community.
In a green kitchen garden, while I was proudly being shown watermelons,
gourds, and cucumbers, I was handed a small earthenware cup of
tea. It was sweet and had the beautiful taste of the village clay
with which it was made. Looking at the smiling, proud faces around
me, I thought, “This may be the sweetest cup of tea I ever
have.”
I invite you to make a donation to the Giving World Foundation.
Together we are making a big difference in people’s lives.
You can imagine that with the giving comes the reward of smiling
faces, the prize vegetables, the successful voice of a proud reader,
the waving hands of the girl student, who strives to be the best
in her class, and the singing voices of elderly women in a caring
environment.
All of these successes have already happened with the help of
your contributions! Thank you to those who have given and continue
to give. As a friend taught me (philanthropy 101), to be asked
to give is a real privilege. |
