Sometimes 4-year-olds don’t get the credit they deserve! It is heart warming when they learn, at a young age, that helping a child who has cancer is more important than toys and the money in their piggy bank. “It is amazing what these children are capable of accomplishing once they set their minds to it,” remarked Laurie March, the Director at the Brandon Montessori. Laurie continued to tell me how one little girl emptied her entire piggy bank for little Elian Garcia. Result? One less than happy Dad. Not that the little girl cared. “It’s my money,” was the smart retort. Part brat — part genius.
Laurie continued, “for the children, it was not about riding their bikes but rather realizing they could do something to help a friend. Even the word ‘friend’ took on a different meaning. We use it every minute in the classroom to refer to classmates. But this time, we met our friend Elian for only a brief moment. In that short time, the children learned they had so much in common with that little boy. Helping Elian meant the world to the children and helped them build a bond — a bond called humanity”.
I think we must all learn to give of ourselves. As individuals, and as companies. Writing a check is the easy part. Giving ones time and energy to help a cause we believe is the ultimate litmus test. The holidays are around the corner and the chasm between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is getting more difficult to bridge. We should all do our part to help. The Montessori children certainly touched one life in a meaningful way. I am so proud of these young children.
Tough to compete with their innocence and their heart!
About Hemant Rustogi