Every parent of the forty who were recognized last night can have a bursting heart this morning.  Today, I am also thankful for the diverse talents among the entire group of honorees.

There were doctors, lawyers, military professionals, and authors.  We were introduced to local legislators, musicians, and entrepreneurs.  We met a man who owns a racing team and another who writes a food blog. We heard success stories rooted in a wide variety of pursuits.

Every one of these men and women are deeply involved in their community.  As impressive as their personal resumes are, it was great to see the that they also used their passion, skills and commitment to help the underserved.  Many of the Forty under 40 serve on non-profits boards, mentor youth, advise start-ups, or have founded their own community service organization.  They fight hunger, cancer, and child abuse.  They preserve neighborhoods, cultures, and history.

I come away from these types of events hopeful for our future.  We are lucky to have the honorees’ enthusiasm, energy and smarts to lead us there.

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Kids are Heroes wants to recognize the service of children everywhere.

Kids Are Heroes^® is a non-profit that empowers, encourages and inspires children to become leaders through volunteerism and community involvement.  We do this by showcasing and supporting children who are making a difference through their selfless acts fo giving. 

We teach children to follow their passions at an early age.  This will instinctively stay with them throughout their entire lives.

Kids are indeed heroes and each one has the power to change the world.

Do you know a child who is making a difference?  Why not “Nominate a Kid” and share his or her story of service?

Perhaps you know a child who wants to something, but isn’t quite sure what or how.  The “Become a Hero” section provides ideas and how-tos.  Some of the activites are donating used sports equipment, collecting cell phones for soldiers, visiting a nursing home with a pet, and volunteering at the Special Olympics.

There’s an important lesson we can share with children through these activities.  Sometimes, people are so overwhelmed by the scope of a problem that instead of doing something, they end up doing nothing.  We can help children understand that they do not have to change the whole world, just their small piece of it.  Imagine the possibilities if every child, every family, every one of us did that?  Then, the whole world would be changed.

My husband and I started buying Little Golden Books for our first-born as soon as we found out I was pregnant.  Every week another title was added.  When we were expecting each of our kids, we took advantage of the special series that grocery stores used to have.  There was a Sesame Street series, the Value Tales series (my favorite), a Disney series and more.  As they grew up, 0ur kids never wanted for books. 

Before our grandson was born, he also had the beginnings of his own library.  He has many new books, and then will get his Daddy’s books as reading ability matches the reading level of the books we’ve saved over the years.

Books are key to a child’s imagination and interest in learning.  This week’s Sunday Service opportunity helps make that possibility a reality.

First Book gives new books - and inspiration – to children in need.  According to their website,

First Book is determined to see that all children, regardless of their economic conditions, can achieve more in school and in life through access to an ongoing supply of new books.

I hope you will join me and help First Book achieve their important mission.  Just a $10 donation will buy four books for children in need.  But, don’t stop there.  Give a recurring donation of $10 a month and you will have provided 48 books in a year!  Click HERE to donate and make a difference!

If you read books as a child, or enjoy reading books to a child in your life today, you know the joy of seeing a child’s imagination spark.  Give to First Books and help them share that joy and opportunity. 

Stay up to date on their good work through Twitter and Facebook, too!  (And, don’t forget to give. Click here!)

Note: It is wise to research organizations before donating your time or money.  Click here to read about the 4-star review that Charity navigator assigned to First Book.

Take seashells, for example.

These three jars of shells are in my office, reminders of favorite vacations at the shore and various other beaches. 

You can probably tell that the shells are not all the same.  Some are large, some are small.  Some are plain, some are a little fancier.  There are all different colors in the jars, too.  That’s about all you can see when you look at such a large number of shells at once. 

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Imagine, though, what you might see if you took the time to step a little closer to the jars and really look at the shells individually.  The deep orange, pink, and gold; the light brown, gray, and off white.  Some shells swirl, some fan wide, some are ridged.  Some are round while others are long and thin.  Each one is unique.  Each one is beautiful in its own way.

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Taking the time to really look at the shells also provides the opportunity to look past obvious chips, cracks and even gaping holes and focus more on the beauty that is there.  Below are two pictures of the same shell.  When I found it, it was lying on the beach with the hole on top.  Not really the most attractive thing.  I stopped, picked it up, turned it over and marvelled at the beauty of nature’s colors  inside.

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What does this all have to do with diversity and leadership and teamwork? 

Think about your team members.  Do you just see them as a group?  Or, do you take the time to see the unique gifts of each person?  Do you see them as a single unit,”my team,” or have you discovered what makes each individual different from the rest?  Do you turn away from that one person who perhaps doesn’t make a good first impression or have you taken the time to find the beauty that might be hidden deep inside?

Whether seashells or people; richness and beauty lies in diversity.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

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Continuing a nearly seventy year tradition, the President issued a proclamation declaring March to be American Red Cross month.  How incredible then that, just three days in to the month, the organization’s disaster services are desperately needed.

The Red Cross has mobilized to provide emergency assistance in eleven states hit by Friday’s tornado outbreak.  By Friday evening, their quick response teams had already opened 22 shelters, providing local residents with food, clothes and a safe and warm place to rest.  The Red Cross also provides physical and mental health experts out in the field to offer counseling and support through injury and grief.  They work with damage assessment teams to calculate the scope of damage done and what it will take to rebuild. 

The work of the Red Cross is too important to not help.  Here is how you can help fill the need for food, clothing, medical supplies, clean water and experts to help the local residents impacted by the storms:

If someone would like to help people affected by disasters like tornadoes and floods, they can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to their local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

If you ever need the Red Cross, they will be there for you.  Today, be there for them.

The principal of the high school happens to be a friend of ours.  We commented about the new bleachers, new fences along the first and third base lines, new sidewalks around the bleachers, and evergreens behind the bleachers.

Today, I am thankful for parents and other community members who work hard to support and benefit local schools.

The principal proceeded to tell us that the athletic boosters paid for the enhancements.  They have been working on a master plan for a few years to get the field ready and compliant with the requirements to host high school tournaments.  The parents have raised a lot of money and have donated some of their own.  They also invested “sweat equity” in many ways from planting trees to pouring and raking concrete.  No tax dollars were used in these improvements.

They still have a ways to go until their work is done, but the hope is that by next year, they will qualify as a host school.  Margaret Mead is often quoted as saying, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  Indeed.

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At the same time, all around the world, there are many people with compassionate hearts and a small amount of extra money.  They would like to help the less fortunate, but aren’t quite sure how they can really make a difference with just a few dollars.

Enter Kiva, this week’s Sunday Service giving opportunity.

For as little as a $25, you can help fund a microfinance loan in a far corner of the globe.  Perhaps help fund aboat for fishing, a tractor for farming, or an oven for a small cafe.  When the far away entrepreneur repays his/her loan (and over 98% are repaid), you can choose to reinvest in someone else, or withdraw your money and move on.

Since Kiva was founded in 2005, over 750,000 lenders from 217 countries have loaned over $292 million dollars in 61 countries.  Just over 80% of those loans were made to women entrepreneurs, an appropriate note after celebrating International Women’s Day this past week.

Take a few minutes to read some Kiva success stories and Charity Navigator’s rating of the organization.  Then, if you would like to give someone a hand up instead of a handout, register with Kiva today and make your first contribution.

The Red Cross has mobilized to provide emergency assistance in eleven states hit by Friday’s tornado outbreak.  By Friday evening, their quick response teams had already opened 22 shelters, providing local residents with food, clothes and a safe and warm place to rest.  The Red Cross also provides physical and mental health experts out in the field to offer counseling and support through injury and grief.  They work with damage assessment teams to calculate the scope of damage done and what it will take to rebuild. 

The work of the Red Cross is too important to not help.  Here is how you can help fill the need for food, clothing, medical supplies, clean water and experts to help the local residents impacted by the storms:

If someone would like to help people affected by disasters like tornadoes and floods, they can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to their local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

If you ever need the Red Cross, they will be there for you.  Today, be there for them.

If you are of one of the Christian traditions, almsgiving is a very important part of the Lenten observance.  The season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday this past week, and continues for 40 days, ending with the Easter celebration.

However, almsgiving and charity is not just part of Christianity.  It’s universally accepted by organized religions as an important part of reflecting the desires of and gratitude for whoever that religion’s “supreme being” is.  Below are numerous links to explore yourself. 

The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod provides this definition and numerous Biblical references to start with.

An explanation of alms and the obligation of alsmgiving can be found in The Catholic Encyclopedia.

The third pillar of Islam is zakat, or almsgiving.

In Buddhism, the concept is slightly different.  Alms are not charity, but a connection to the spiritual.

The Jewish Encylcopedia describes charity in the spirit of justice.

Many other religions in some way encourage the spirit of giving and kindness and generosity.  Consider this week how you can be fully present to opportunities for this type of charity.   

The opportunity to learn a musical instrument can inspire a child to discover talent, expand creativity, develop social skills, and learn sef-discipline.  Music in our schools is vital to the health of our communities and the continued development of our culture.

Yet, many children do not have this opportunity.

In honor of tonight’s Grammy Awards, below are some organizations striving to keep music alive and available to all children.  Click the links and explore.  Whether it’s donating an instrument, contributing funds, or giving your time and musical experience, you can help.

The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation keeps music alive in our schools and communities by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs, giving youngsters the many benefits of music education, helping them to be better students and inspiring creativity and expression through playing music.  [They] believe that kids thrive when given the chance to learn and play music. Putting an instrument into their hands improves the quality of their education and their lives. The window is brief and all kids deserve a chance to play music in school!

Make a financial donation to the foundation here.  Find out how to give them a used instrument here.  Start the process to seek a grant here.

Instruments of Change [strives to] profoundly impact the lives of disadvantaged children through the gifts of musical instrument donation, instruction and performance. [They] accomplish this mission by seeking our new and gently used musical instruments that are not being played and place them with children whose parents do not have the means to purchase an instrument of their own.

Scroll down this page to donate a musical instrument.  Make a financial contribution here.  If you are a music educator, offer to share your experience here.

Charity Music Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit public service organzation, whose mission is to help cultivate the next upcoming crop of young artists by providing musical instruments, on loan, to homeless students, at-risk, and disadvantaged youth wishing to explore their hidden musical talents.

Follow your state link from this list to find out how to donate an instrument.  Click here to make a financial contribution.

Help keep music alive.  Help children discover their potential greatness.  Help our communities thrive through musical arts.