Give a man a fish, it will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish it will feed him for a life time.
This was one quote that inspired me at a very early age. My father was a professor and it was amazing to see how the community respected him and more importantly with the impact he used to create. Let me share one of his most impactful stories. This was about a kid from a remote village, he had excellent scores in his school but there was no one to guide him. He was looking to pick up any arts and science courses he could find. For with his scores, he would been admitted in any premium Engineering college. He was unaware and when he reached my father for guidance it was already past the last date for buying the application form.
My father was determined to give this brilliant kid a better future. While others would have said better luck next time, he tried to be creative. With his connections he got the list of people who bought the application but didn't apply. He gave that list to the kid and asked him to talk to one of them to spare him their application . After a 3 day hunt he found a person and turned in the application. Now he is a good engineer running a big construction company. Every time I see him he thanks our family for that good deed my father did.
After I got my first job, I was keen in doing something impactful and purposeful with my salary. I took to my mother for advice, she told me why don't you sponsor some kids education and that was the kutty story behind my volunteering journey. At one point I realized I could do only so much as an individual, if I need to create a far reaching impact I needed more hands. What if I inspire few people to volunteer and create a forum where any one can join hands with like minded people and essay an impact story. We formed a CSR chapter , together we created many impactful stories.
Here at iOPEX I shared this thought and I had tremendous support from top to bottom. We have now formed a core committe with like minded colleagues, put together a good charter and are linning up for our first set of activities with blessings & support from Shiv and Gopal sir. May be soon I would write about an impact story created by our volunteer.
If you are someone who loves volunteering and making an impact, get ready we will need ur helping hands to make a difference.