"The power of one man or one woman doing the right thing for the right reason, and at the right time, is the greatest influence in our society."
~Jack Kemp
We often think that if only we could band together with like minded, motivated people, we could really make a difference in the world. We have all thought that at one time or another. Don't get me wrong, I agree there is power in numbers, but please never forget that there is also great power in one.
One person can change the life of one other person. That is a very big deal for the one person whose life was changed by the presence and influence of the other.
I once heard a story about a beach where starfish get washed up on the sand by the thousands every year. One year, at low tide, when the beach was covered with they dying creatures, a small boy was walking along picking them up and throwing them back into the water. An old man was observing the futile attempt of the lad, and eventually walked over to the boy to strike up a conversation.
"Young man, don't you see you are wasting your time? There are thousands of these starfish and there is no way you can save them all," he offered kindly.
The boy looked up at him with a starfish in his hand. He glanced back down at the dying animal he was holding, pondering the man's words. Without looking back up, he tossed the starfish out into the water and leaned over to pick up another. "I know I can't save them all," he quietly replied. As the next one sailed out toward the safety of water, the boy looked at the old man and calmly said, "But THAT one won't die."
That story drives me to live my life differently. It inspires me to never overlook the opportunity to speak into someone's life. It motivates me to take time with people one on one. You just never know which child is going to remember your words, your time, your effort in their life. Seldom do we know when we are involved in a turning point in someone else's life. People generally look back on such moments and recognize them in retrospect.
We can each recall our own experience and remember a name or a face of someone who was a positive influence in our lives. Sometimes it's a relative or a coach. For some it's the pastor of their church or a youth minister. For many it's a teacher, whether at school or in some sort of extra-curricular type activity.
Our youth shooting sports instructors are the kind of folks who are saving one starfish at a time. They cannot speak into the lives of every child in town, but they are instrumental in teaching a handful of them about responsibility, patriotism, civic duty, and the like.
The volunteers who teach the Women on Target clinics, or the Refuse to be a Victim classes, may never know which woman they empowered to defend herself or another person in her proximity. No woman may ever come back and thank them for saving her life by training her, but it certainly does happen.
There are a thousand ways we are given the opportunity to speak into the life of 'just' one other person. Please, let's not let those moments pass us by. Please join me in looking for the opening to make a difference, to save just one starfish. It is a big deal to the one who is on the receiving end.
Blessings,
~Gwen
Showing posts with label Women on Target. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Women on Target. Show all posts
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Part 4 - What I've Learned in My First Six Months as NRA Field Rep.
Greetings,
Have you ever noticed that none of us like boredom? We are all searching for something to do. Not just something to do, but something with significance. We all long to have our lives count for something more than simply taking up space. It’s a legacy we look for. Some find that legacy in how they raise their children. Some find it in their job. Many, sadly, never find it.
For those of us who are patriotic and love our country, one of the things we want to preserve is the right to live the way we want to live. We don’t want someone in Washington telling us how to live, how to raise our children, how to eat, or what to do with our time and money. The Bill of Rights is something intensely personal to us. We believe every word, and want every one of them to continue to be enforced.
Although very few of us can recite the 2nd Amendment in its entirety, we all believe in it wholeheartedly. “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” I recently purchased a T-shirt from the NRA store online that has the 2nd Amendment on the back and it says, “27 words worth fighting for”. I rarely wear it without getting a comment or two about it.
Have you ever noticed that none of us like boredom? We are all searching for something to do. Not just something to do, but something with significance. We all long to have our lives count for something more than simply taking up space. It’s a legacy we look for. Some find that legacy in how they raise their children. Some find it in their job. Many, sadly, never find it.
For those of us who are patriotic and love our country, one of the things we want to preserve is the right to live the way we want to live. We don’t want someone in Washington telling us how to live, how to raise our children, how to eat, or what to do with our time and money. The Bill of Rights is something intensely personal to us. We believe every word, and want every one of them to continue to be enforced.
Although very few of us can recite the 2nd Amendment in its entirety, we all believe in it wholeheartedly. “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” I recently purchased a T-shirt from the NRA store online that has the 2nd Amendment on the back and it says, “27 words worth fighting for”. I rarely wear it without getting a comment or two about it.
http://www.nrastore.com/nrastore/Products.aspx?c=12
Each of the volunteers believes that those are indeed 27 words worth fighting for. They are thoroughly convinced that when it says, ‘the right of the PEOPLE’, it really means you and me … the people. They work for months to make their banquet a success so they can raise grant money that will be used to allow ‘people’ access to ‘arms’; normal people, young people, women, politicians, veterans, police officers, poor people, rich people, old people, ALL people.
We all work tirelessly at this program to raise money to fund local projects that will teach young people about gun safety, hunting, ethics, responsibility, follow-through, and other life lessons that will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
We fund programs like Y.E.S. that sends high school students to Washington DC to learn about the history of our country without leaving out important aspects of it that are being squelched and hidden away on a daily basis. Those kids come home with a sense of civic duty, a love of their country, a desire to make things better, and the knowledge to engage in intelligent, effective conversation with people of differing view-points. It gives them a sense of significance, and the opportunity to leave their own legacy. It’s a fantastic program.
Each of the volunteers believes that those are indeed 27 words worth fighting for. They are thoroughly convinced that when it says, ‘the right of the PEOPLE’, it really means you and me … the people. They work for months to make their banquet a success so they can raise grant money that will be used to allow ‘people’ access to ‘arms’; normal people, young people, women, politicians, veterans, police officers, poor people, rich people, old people, ALL people.
We all work tirelessly at this program to raise money to fund local projects that will teach young people about gun safety, hunting, ethics, responsibility, follow-through, and other life lessons that will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
We fund programs like Y.E.S. that sends high school students to Washington DC to learn about the history of our country without leaving out important aspects of it that are being squelched and hidden away on a daily basis. Those kids come home with a sense of civic duty, a love of their country, a desire to make things better, and the knowledge to engage in intelligent, effective conversation with people of differing view-points. It gives them a sense of significance, and the opportunity to leave their own legacy. It’s a fantastic program.
We fund programs like Eddie Eagle that teaches small children to NOT touch a gun if they see one. Sometimes it is mis-portrayed as a gun safety program for elementary school children. It does indeed teach safety, but only by training to the children that if they see a gun, STOP, DON’T TOUCH, LEAVE THE AREA, and TELL AN ADULT. Those four steps are repeated in the video, coloring books, stickers, a song and dance, and by a giant eagle mascot that they all feel comfortable with immediately. Those children are miles ahead of the ones who see one and don’t have any idea that their curiosity could be deadly. Nobody ever bothered to tell them what to do if they find a firearm. Talk about a program with significance!
We provide scholarships to send young people between 13 and 17 years old to a two week summer camp experience at the NRA Whittington Center called Adventure Camp. They learn to shoot pistols, rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, and archery. They learn to read a compass and maps. They are taught to identify animal tracks. They learn teamwork. They camp out and cook for themselves. Again, the life skills they acquire during this time will prove to be invaluable in their futures. They come home with a sense of the gravity of working together to make things happen. How many young people today don’t learn that until they’ve been fired from half a dozen jobs because they cannot work with others? I want my kids to learn that before they head out into the ‘real world’.
We work tirelessly to fund programs that teach women to defend themselves. Refuse To Be A Victim is a fantastic crime prevention course. Women on Target teaches ladies to shoot in a low-pressure environment. Women’s Wilderness Escape takes them hunting. Women’s Leadership Forum teaches them to step up and make a difference in their community. Without the Friends of NRA volunteers, these programs would go without funding, and without the ability to continue to impact the lives of women worldwide.
All of these programs and many many more are funded either in part or in whole by the hard work and generosity of our Friends of NRA volunteers. We have all found them to be significant programs that provide direction and meaning in our lives and the lives of those we care about. Each of us who puts on a Friends of NRA Volunteer hat or shirt is leaving a legacy for those who follow after us. If we don’t do it, who will?
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