Pay it Forward Presentation for Shad Valley Richard

Pay it Forward Presentation for Shad Valley Richard Hoshino July 21 st, 2005

Outline for Tonight’s Talk • Starting Your Race – Developing a Clear Ambition for Your Life. • Running Your Race – Persevering Despite Obstacles and Adversity. • Finishing Your Race – Using Your Gifts to Serve and Inspire Others.

Starting Your Race • Be the Change You Want to See in the World. – Mahatma Gandhi • Find a passionate cause that you believe in, and develop a clear plan of how you can turn your vision into a reality.

Free the Children • Founded in 1995 by Craig Kielburger. • Free the Children has impacted the lives of over a million children in 35 countries. • The organization has built 400 primary schools which provides daily education to 35, 000 students, and distributed more than 200, 000 school and health kits. • Craig and his brother Marc have written four best-selling books on children’s rights and community involvement.

Free the Children (continued) • In 1999, Craig and Marc Kielburger founded Leaders Today, an organization that provides training in leadership and global citizenship to more than 250, 000 students annually across North America. • Has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice.

North American Values • Canadians watch an average of 22 hours of TV every week. • North Americans spend more money on shoes, watches, and jewelry than on higher education. • 90% of teenage American girls describe their favourite hobby as “store-hopping”. • Only 29% of young adults volunteer.

Running Your Race • Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. – Helen Keller • Despite the many obstacles we will face, our character will only be strengthened by adversity and failure.

Biography • • • 1816 - His family was forced out of their home. 1818 - His mother died. 1831 - Failed in business. 1832 - Ran for state legislature: lost. 1832 - Lost his job. He wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.

Biography (continued) • 1833 - Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt. • 1834 - Ran for state legislature again: won. • 1835 - Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken. • 1836 - Had a nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.

Biography (Continued) • 1838 - Sought to become speaker of the state legislature: defeated. • 1840 - Sought to become elector: defeated. • 1843 - Ran for Congress: lost. • 1846 - Ran for Congress again: won. • 1848 - Ran for re-election to Congress: lost.

Biography (continued) • 1849 - Sought the job of land officer in his home state: rejected. • 1854 - Ran for Senate of the United States: lost. • 1856 - Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention: got less than 100 votes. • 1858 - Ran for U. S. Senate again: again he lost.

Biography (continued) • 1860 - Elected President of the United States The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself, "It’s a slip and not a fall. " – Abraham Lincoln

Food for Thought I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. – Michael Jordan

Finishing Your Race • We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. – Winston Churchill • Let’s make the commitment to use all of our gifts and abilities, combined with the unique circumstance we have been placed in, to serve and inspire others. Let’s “pay it forward”.

Humanities / Math 101 • Free university program in the humanities for underprivileged people. • Three prerequisites for enrollment – Must live below the poverty line. – Must be functionally literate. – Must have a passionate love for learning.

The First Race (1973)

Boston Marathon (2003)