Be the Cause

Author: Sukh

Houston Delivers

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On Thursday, January 22nd, Be the Cause volunteers in the Houston area dropped off Toiletries and Hygiene items to the Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston program (HHH). The drive began towards the beginning of December and simply by getting the words out to their friends, putting up boxes around the Baylor College of Medicine and posting the collection sites on the web, supplies started to come in.

From what was donated, HHH was able to distribute 90 Hygiene Kits.

Below is a letter from the Director of Volunteer Services at HHH and a few pictures of the items.

Dear Maushmi,

How wonderful of Be the Cause to do a “Toiletries+++ “collection for Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston again this year– the third year! I am so sorry that we didn’t have our camera available when you and Naz delivered everything. We did come up with one for Friday afternoon, though, when three of our wonderful volunteers responded to my call to come help get everything packed into kits and boxed, labeled and placed so that our providers can have easy access to get the things out for our patients as soon as needed.

We made up about 90 hygiene kits with a wide variety of items. As a few of the items ran out, we turned to packing and labeling things by type to be visible and usable for single item selection in the clinic storage areas. I sent an e-mail to all of our providers to let them know what bounty is to be found. Just from my limited observation point, I am already aware of numerous things being put into the hands of our patients. We are ALL so appreciative!

I have included a couple of photos of the volunteers assembling hygiene kits Friday afternoon. Thank you for making this possible!

Sincerely,
Cherie

lots-of-stuff-for-kits-jan-09

michaelcwterriaaron-jan-09

Just an appetizer

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This is just the appetizer said Virenbhai as he addressed the 20 plus volunteers cramped in the Seva Cafe kitchen. This is just the beginning. We must keep moving forward to create more meaningful projects and to continue serving others. The main dish, he stated, still awaits us.

In that anticipation he lit a fire that got many of us thinking: What else could we be doing to serve others; How else can we help to make this world a better place?

Virenbhai’s visit in that sense was just a reminder of what life could have in store for us. He only spent a few hours with us, but even so, he has left a deep change stirring within.

Virenbhai, for those of you that aren’t familiar, co-founded an organization 20 years ago that now cares for 6000 children every day, runs over 50 projects and does it all with one governing principle: that to lovingly care for others is our nature and our duty. This principle is so ingrained in the staff and the volunteers that even the recipients of their good work get indoctrinated with it. The organization is now literally being run by those who once benefited from it, because they now too realize that they must continue this circle of giving.

This love for service is apparent in all that Virenbhai does. A few minutes at the Seva Cafe and he immediately rushed to the kitchen to start washing dishes. I literally had to pull him away to introduce him to some of the guests.

Despite his busy schedule, between getting awards at the King Institute in Stanford and visiting family in Chicago, he took the time to visit us. His visit was more a gift than a tour, he even brought kites so that we could get a taste of the Kite Festival from his home town of Ahmadabad, Gujarat. As we flew the kites in the afternoon a few kids in the nearby park curiously came up to us. Virenbhai happily greeted them and sent them on their way with new gifts. A brother and sister held hands as they ran off. Their new kites flinging behind them in anticipation of flights yet to come. A hand made necklace bearing the faces of Gandhi and King dangled between the two as they held in tightly in their joined palms. A picturesque moment as the sun began to fade and dip ahead of them. All we saw as we stared in their direction was a brighter future.

For those of you that helped make his trip happen, thank you. More on Manav Sadhna, the organization that Virenbhai helped start: www.manavsadhna.org.

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