An Empowered Spirit Blog Post

A Call To Action: What Social Good Are You Doing This Week?

By Cathy Chester on April 22, 2014

Last year I attended The Social Good Summit, a three day event held during UN Week "where big ideas meet new media to create innovative solutions."

social good

In order words, it was a place where global leaders ignited our passion to help solve the challenges of the world.

A tall order.

I was deeply moved by many of the speakers. Listening to their voices so filled with passion for causes they believed in was exciting to me, and reminded me of the call to action I wanted needed to take.  I felt physically and emotionally exhausted when I got home.

It was more than worth it.

My biggest regret was being unable to stay and listen to who I believe was (and always will be) the most dynamic, courageous and completely unforgettable person to appear at the conference, Malala Yousafzai.   She is an extraordinary human being, and if you have a minute check out Malala Fund, her organization focusing on providing education to girls in underdeveloped countries who are being denied the opportunity to go to school.

Social good encompasses a lot of territory. There is so much heartache, sadness and tragedy in the world. If I were a Kennedy or a Rockefeller I'd donate billions of dollars to charitable organizations, and purchase acres and acres of land to create reservations to house homeless animals. I'd be unstoppable in my focus to help as many people and animals as I could.

But I'm simply me.

So until I win the lottery or write a Pulitzer Prize winning book, I'll take care of my little corner of the world, one small act at a time.

Tomorrow is World Book Night, a worldwide event that celebrates William Shakespeare's birthday by shipping boxes of new books to volunteers who donate them to light or non-readers.  I am thrilled to be a part of this event, and I'll be donating 20 copies of Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, "Wait Till Next Year" to a local nursing home.  I have been a featured speaker at this particular home on behalf of The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, so I am thrilled to donate these books to such a wonderful place.

social good

In my recent post about about my visit to The Daily Show I spoke of the gifted comedian, Vince August, the warmup for Jon Stewart. I was so impressed with his talent that this past weekend Gary and I went to see Vince perform at Bananas Comedy Club in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. We laughed and applauded while Vince turned his wit on parents who thought a Saturday night comedy show was the perfect place to bring their 14 year old son,  and a bunch of seniors who were brave enough to sit in the front row.

When the act was over, Vince announced he was selling t-shirts to raise money for The North Shore Animal League, a charity near and dear to my own heart.  In memory of his beloved dog, Spike, Vince chose the League because they tirelessly work to save the lives of cats and dogs by rescuing, nurturing and finding loving forever homes for over 1,000,000 innocent animals.  That night he raised $1,200.

A funny man with a heart of gold.

I believe it is our duty to do good in the world, to help those who can't help themselves.  It is our responsibility to do something - anything - to make this world a better place.

One small act at a time.

What are you doing to make the world a better place?

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Author

Cathy Chester

Comments

  1. I am a fan of Malala, also and love North Shore.
    I am donating books to several libraries, for world book night.

  2. A motivating call to action post. I think you make a great point on what can we do in our own corner, what resonates personally with each of us.

  3. You are such a wonderful person Cathy. I love that you take care of your little corner of the world, one small act at a time. That's the motto I live by.

  4. I had never heard of World Book Night, but what a great idea and cause! And of course the North Shore Animal League is one of my favorites -- I grew up right near there! This post feels timely to me because I obviously want to get more involved in supporting pediatric cancer and we recently discovered a charity that supports childhood cancer research...I plan to write a post about it soon and how we plan to help. 🙂

  5. I am need to pay it forward more often and I love the donating books idea. I do support my local animal shelter but North Shore does so many amazing things and every little bit does add up to BIG things!

  6. Cathy, you do so much good and are so inspiring. I'm excited about giving out books for World Book Night again tomorrow -- it was so much fun last year. Can't wait to hear about your experience!

  7. Cathy, you are a beautiful soul. Your advocacy work is just the icing on the cake. I'm so glad you're on this planet, living in your corner of the world, doing good. I believe we are here to serve, and I look for little ways each and every day to spread cheer, hope and inspiration.

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