Unsung Hero
There are some people who amaze me and make me, in the words of Tom Cruise, "want to be a better person" by emulating their noble acts. People who inspire me to question why I can't do the same, and people who make me smile because they are so selfless. People who have a passion for exploring uncharted territories, and people who change the world one dish, one book, one donation at a time. People who don't think they deserve more than their neighbors, and people who respect and aren't afraid to learn about views, religions, political stances, and languages different from their own.
You're probably familiar with most of my heroes: Julia Child, Oprah Winfrey, Phebe Ko, Antonio Carluccio, Tony and Maureen Wheeler, Ghandi, Khaled Hosseini, Swamiji...yes, they are all well-recognized.
One of my unsung heroes is nameless and faceless. He has requested that I not scream to the world how generous he is. The word donor is impressive, but the words anonymous donor are even more extraordinary.
A week ago, my Peace Corps project, Camp GLOW, was looking desperately thin; in terms of funding, it was only a fifth of its weight. My mom, an aspiring Chinese harpist, gave me the email of a colleague who had heard about Camp GLOW and had agreed to contribute $2000. To a Peace Corps volunteer who lives off of less than $200 a month, $2000 was like hitting the jackpot in Vegas. After several emails back and forth regarding the logistics of Camp GLOW, this anonymous donor sent me a 3-sentence email:
"I have donated $5,000 toward your activity through direct deposit to the Peace Corps. Please verify that it is credited to your camp Glow. I salute your endeavor and wish you a resound success."
Hallelujah! If I hadn't been in an internet center filled with mellow Jordanians smoking and casually researching U.S. visa requirements, I would've been jumping up and down, praising Allah for the wonderful and kind people in this world. But I sat calmly, smiling at those 4 glowing digits.
Then, reality. My mom had said I would be lucky to get $2000. I convinced myself not to get too excited; clearly my anonymous donor had accidentally typed an extra 0. Oh, well. $500 was more than anyone else had donated.
A phone call later, I confirmed that my project was fully funded; no slip of the pudgy pinky typed an extra 0. This nameless donor had given Camp GLOW the money to rev its engine. Indeed, it's rare that a simple citizen would donate such a generous amount to a project that is taking place across the globe and is being run by four girls he's never met. And all without a request to be recognized; he never hinted that he wanted a glowing medal announcing his merits. He only wished us success. As the old adage says, "Great people are humble people."
So, since X (Great Person) = Y (Humble Person),
and Y (Humble Person) = Z (My Anonymous Donor),
then, according to my 9th-grade algebra lessons, X (Great Person) = Z (My Anonymous Donor).
So, to this wonderful soul who passes on his good karma anonymously: Thank you, a million times over, for your generous contribution to Camp GLOW. Cheers to "passing it on" and making the world a happier place.
You're probably familiar with most of my heroes: Julia Child, Oprah Winfrey, Phebe Ko, Antonio Carluccio, Tony and Maureen Wheeler, Ghandi, Khaled Hosseini, Swamiji...yes, they are all well-recognized.
One of my unsung heroes is nameless and faceless. He has requested that I not scream to the world how generous he is. The word donor is impressive, but the words anonymous donor are even more extraordinary.
A week ago, my Peace Corps project, Camp GLOW, was looking desperately thin; in terms of funding, it was only a fifth of its weight. My mom, an aspiring Chinese harpist, gave me the email of a colleague who had heard about Camp GLOW and had agreed to contribute $2000. To a Peace Corps volunteer who lives off of less than $200 a month, $2000 was like hitting the jackpot in Vegas. After several emails back and forth regarding the logistics of Camp GLOW, this anonymous donor sent me a 3-sentence email:
"I have donated $5,000 toward your activity through direct deposit to the Peace Corps. Please verify that it is credited to your camp Glow. I salute your endeavor and wish you a resound success."
Hallelujah! If I hadn't been in an internet center filled with mellow Jordanians smoking and casually researching U.S. visa requirements, I would've been jumping up and down, praising Allah for the wonderful and kind people in this world. But I sat calmly, smiling at those 4 glowing digits.
Then, reality. My mom had said I would be lucky to get $2000. I convinced myself not to get too excited; clearly my anonymous donor had accidentally typed an extra 0. Oh, well. $500 was more than anyone else had donated.
A phone call later, I confirmed that my project was fully funded; no slip of the pudgy pinky typed an extra 0. This nameless donor had given Camp GLOW the money to rev its engine. Indeed, it's rare that a simple citizen would donate such a generous amount to a project that is taking place across the globe and is being run by four girls he's never met. And all without a request to be recognized; he never hinted that he wanted a glowing medal announcing his merits. He only wished us success. As the old adage says, "Great people are humble people."
So, since X (Great Person) = Y (Humble Person),
and Y (Humble Person) = Z (My Anonymous Donor),
then, according to my 9th-grade algebra lessons, X (Great Person) = Z (My Anonymous Donor).
So, to this wonderful soul who passes on his good karma anonymously: Thank you, a million times over, for your generous contribution to Camp GLOW. Cheers to "passing it on" and making the world a happier place.
