Affluence and Influence
Affluence and Influence
I consider myself to be a rich man. I have many nice things, very little debt and the means to be able to do most of the things that my family and I enjoy doing. Indeed, as I look back over the last decade of my life, I realize that I am living a more affluent life than I ever have before. But this is not the reason I consider myself to be a rich man. I consider myself to be rich because I have a beautiful wife and three young sons. I also feel truly rich because I have learned one of the secrets to experiencing a more meaningful and fulfilling life. The secret involves learning to value positive influence over affluence. Making a difference by being a positive influence in the lives of others has brought me more joy, meaning and fulfillment than any material thing ever has. Not influence by way of power or manipulation, but rather, by way of service. I get the most meaning out of life when I choose to serve others.
As the Southern Oregon Regional Director of Sparrow Clubs, I experience this every day. Sparrow Clubs is a non-profit organization that matches local children in medical need/crisis with neighborhood schools. The students in these local schools “adopt” the sick child and their family. Each school that adopts a child as their “sparrow” is sponsored by a local business, which pledges seed money that the students are challenged to earn for their sparrow by doing hours of service in their communities. In 2006, Sparrow Clubs adopted 31 children in medical need to schools throughout Southern Oregon. Through serving others, students in these schools raised more than $120,000 that went directly to Sparrow families to help lighten the financial burden of their situations.
Yes, Sparrow Clubs is an organization that helps sick kids. But there is more. You see, the heartbeat of Sparrow Clubs is youth culture. For every one sick child that gets help, there are several other healthy kids who need help in other ways. Loneliness, anger, drug abuse, violence and despair are rampant throughout youth culture. Kids need to be given purpose. They need to be told that they can make a real difference in people’s lives. Sparrow Clubs believes that, “Kids will do heroic things when given heroic things to do.” It is our duty as adults to give the youth in our community heroic things to do. When kids take hold of opportunities to serve, they are changed for the better. Sparrow families become agents of change and powerful teachers to our youth. It is not uncommon for kids to come up to me after an all-school Sparrow assembly with tears streaming down their faces, unable to speak clearly because their hearts are breaking over what they just witnessed. These kids take that heartbreak and turn it into action! Kids are learning the power of compassion and the joy and meaning that comes from positively influencing the lives of others through service.
It excites me to see kids of all ages learning these lessons. These kids are on the road to experiencing more out of life, regardless of whether or not they grow up to live affluent lifestyles. Affluence and positive influence. Can a person have both? Of course. Indeed a person who has both is most fortunate. But for me, if it came down to a choice between the two, a life of positive influence would win hands down. The rewards are much greater. They make me feel…rich.
Matt Sampson
Southern Oregon Regional Director
Sparrow Clubs USA
www.sparrowclubs.org
