Joy of Giving spirit engulfs the city

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one"- Mother Teresa A woman who was travelling alone in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveller who was hungry; the woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveller saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without any hesitation.The traveller left, rejoicing his great fortune. He knew the stone was worthy enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I am giving it back hoping that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.”

The woman smiled, “The joy of giving!”

The Joy of Giving started in 1988 with one family discovering its spirit. The founder, Nicki Davis and a few volunteers had ‘Santa’ deliver clothes and toys to a seven-year-old girl. The girl was overjoyed after receiving these items and said, “Santa, Santa, I knew you wouldn’t forget me. Last year, I waited and waited for you but you didn’t come.” This very tale is what led to the foundation of Joy of Giving.

Ever since then, this foundation has spread and reached out to thousands of children with the spirit of Christmas. In Hyderabad, as part of the celebrations, actress Lakshmi Manchu and former Mrs India, Shilpa Reddy launched the event. Starting from October 2 and ending on October 8, a series of events are being planned in the city to celebrate the Joy of Giving Week (JGW). Volunteers from all walks of life are participating to ensure the event reaches out to a large number of people and are benefitted by the programme.

Volunteers work with schools and victim’s advocacy groups to identify qualified children. The ones who participate in JGW are the ones who believe in the teachings of Mother Teresa. This group also acts as a platform for people who want to make a difference in someone else's life in a small or big way.

JGW is the country’s own unique way of helping out those who are in need. People from all over the country come forward and help the needy to the best of their abilities. From auto drivers to CEOs, school children to celebrities, homemakers to opinion leaders, millions of people give either their time, money, resources or skills, back to society- by creating or participating in ‘events’ of their choice. An ensemble of personalities from varied fields of expertise, from entrepreneurship to civil service, private executives to those from the judiciary and medicine come together on a common platform to celebrate the virtues of giving.