President's Letter: It Begins With You
Monday, August 04, 2014“Change begins with an idea, a hope, a dream, an individual. It can begin with you.”
Deepak Chopra
Rising Star
Outreach’s mission is to help those
afflicted with leprosy experience hope and purpose in their lives,
which comes through giving them the gift to change their circumstances.
Proper medical care changes the way patients deal with pain and healing
brings hope. A small micro-grant significantly changes the
mentality of a person who once was a beggar, but now has the opportunity to own
a productive business. As always the
gift of education changes our students' lives in profound ways.
Deepak Chopra suggests, “Change begins
with...an individual.” One of these
individuals, Amy Antonelli, has helped lives change for the better at Rising
Star Outreach. In the words of Becky Douglas, Founder of Rising Star Outreach,
“No one has done more than Amy Antonelli to create the miracle that has become Rising Star Outreach! She came to us early on when we were still a fledgling organization. She helped define our goals and programs. She brought tremendous talent and enthusiasm. She put in place more professional ways of reaching out to others and getting our message out to the world. Amy had the vision and experience that we needed. She worked tirelessly and passionately to improve the lives of the leprosy-affected and their children. She had a particular passion and great love for the children, and guided our programs to improve their education and living conditions. Many caught her enthusiasm and she oversaw phenomenal growth during her years as our Executive Director. Rising Star will always have a debt of gratitude to Amy for her vision that helped define who we would become.”
Amy’s passion endeared us to Rising Star Outreach and was so contagious that I brought another 40 volunteers back to Rising Star
the following year! How fortunate I am to have been involved in this wonderful
organization since that time. Thank you, Amy, for filling so many pages of
the Rising Star Outreach story. Your legacy lives on.
Shawn Bradley Golf Event
A ripple affect of the Volunteer Program
has been the service of Shawn and Annette Bradley, members of the Board of
Directors of Rising Star. Because they were touched by the experience of
volunteering with their family, Shawn and Annette continue ‘paying it forward.’
On Tuesday, September 16th Shawn will
host the 5th Annual Shawn Bradley
Golf Invitational at the beautiful Red Ledges golf course in
Heber City, Utah.
Visit the website for information and bring
your friends and co-workers or get your business to sponsor a hole or
foursome. If you’re not a golfer, come
to the President’s Brunch. “Hope
Beyond Stigma” will give the latest information about how Rising Star's
reach is expanding throughout Tamil Nadu and how you can continue to be a vital
part of Rising Star's mission this coming year. Tickets are available online August 18th!
Rising Star Blog
The Rising Star Blog is a great way to
stay connected by reading stories and updates about the programs Amy helped
establish. I want to personally invite you to visit it often.
http://rsoutreach.blogspot.com
Rebecca Young, India Sponsorship Program
Director, shares frequent updates about the students, their parents, and other
happenings at Rising Star. You can read personal stories and blogs from
volunteers and how their lives have been changed through their experiences. You
can meet Change Agents like Maurine Westover and see photos of
how these Change Agents are enriching the lives of many—especially their
own! Best of all you can view the latest photos and videos of the students!
Rising Star Micro-Grants
Dr. Vijayalakshmi, Social Worker at
Rising Star, recently shared this beautiful story and photos of Raman and his
wife.
“Raman, aged 65 years, lives in Venkatapuram. He and his wife have been affected by leprosy for nearly 40 years. For the past 12 years, he has had a petty shop inside his house, which consists of a small hall. He used to display the snack items and provisions on the floor to sell. He found it very difficult to keep more products due to the small place. So he got less income and profit.
 |
| Dr. Vijayalakshmi |
I have witnessed the miracles of the
micro-grant program when many have shared their stories about a tailoring
business, a small snack shop, a barbershop, making pearl jewelry, or selling small
packaged spices. When asked about how it feels to be able to support their
families, their faces light up and the responses always center around the sense
of dignity they have as a contributing members of society. The list of
businesses goes on and on and it’s inspiring to see the blessing of a simple grant. Rising Star is grateful for Dr. Vijayalakshmi and her
team for their part in lifting lives through the micro-grant program.
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| Becky Douglas and Padma Venkatraman |
With gratitude,
Sally Gardner Read
President, Rising Star Outreach
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