Platform for Greater Purpose and Generosity by Carter Via
Peter Singer, a well-known ethicist from Princeton University, has written at length about the best ways to elicit philanthropic support for the poor. His findings are quite revealing. One of the most intriguing revelations is very simple – people cannot tolerate the weight of large numbers. In other words, you will NOT evoke empathy by telling people millions are dying of hunger. The numbers are too overwhelming, and the message is too impersonal. We must tell the stories of individuals who are suffering, who need to be seen, and who rely on us to care.
Both by fate and by design, Crossing Thresholds has lived by this imperative. We do not spend much time talking about statistics. Rather we try to talk about children with names. Meet Faith. Meet Alice. Meet Caleb. Meet Benson. These are little human beings born into poverty. Accident of birth. They like to play. They like to laugh. They like to learn. They are sometimes hungry. Without Crossing Thresholds, they might not be in school. With or without Crossing Thresholds, they need you. Their need is not the platform for guilt. Rather it is the platform for greater purpose and generosity.
This is precisely ‘why we bring volunteers to Kenya’. In June and July, we brought more than 70 volunteers. It was amazing. It was a chance to understand on a deeper level the burden of acute poverty. It was a chance to meet the children behind the statistics. It was a chance to unleash empathy and offer encouragement. In the end, it is an exercise in mutual empowerment – everybody infused with greater purpose.
What did we do on the ground? Here is a quick snapshot:
We worked side by side with Kenyans to advance the construction of a new Junior High School.
We had doctors serving in our clinic and in the community.
We cleaned up and expanded our Urban Garden.
We had an artistic team painting murals at the new playground.
We participated in the Boys and Girls Character Building programs.
We facilitated workshops for teachers and parents at our primary schools.
We chaperoned Field Trips to the Karura Forest in Nairobi.
Of course, I could tell you about the 180 million children who are hungry in the world. I could tell you about the 275 million children who are out of school. But our message is much more PERSONAL. Meet Faith. Meet Alice. Meet Caleb. Meet Benson. They need you. And in the great matrix of human interconnectedness, you need them. Which is to say, we need each other!!
Please, please plan to come to our fundraiser on Sunday September 27th. It is one way to celebrate our surprising interconnectedness, and to unleash desperately needed generosity.
By Carter Via
