Many people don’t realize this in their lifetime and die not knowing their power, or worse, not using it to better their lives and the lives of others. Unfortunately, I discovered this life lesson after losing four family members in about a year’s time. Fortunately, I paid attention and took action to make small changes that rippled out to big changes that shifted my life personally, professional and spiritually.

My wish for you this new year is that you take baby steps. Start by helping someone in need or volunteering. It doesn’t have to seem laborious or like something you check off in a long list of to-do’s. It should be inspiring and fun. Think about what you enjoy doing naturally.

For example, people who know me, know I like love to talk. For me, there’s no better way to use my power of connecting with everyday heroes, telling their stories to inspire you, the viewer to find your inner superhero power to help them.

I know this may sound kidlike, woo woo or a bit cray cray, but it’s true. Each and every one of us has the power to make or break someone’s day. It doesn’t matter how great your wealth, health or connections — you have the power. I believe this so much that during the throes of the economic meltdown in 2008, I decided to quit my “dream job” as a TV reporter in San Francisco to prove this theory.

My power: connecting with people. To take it a step further, I know that I can have a soul-stirring conversation with someone and uplift, inspire and change their perspective — and in many cases spark action within them, which billows out into the community.

A journalism brother, Archith Sehshadri, recently asked me what one word describes our power. He said, “My network.” I said, “Inspiring” people. On any given week about 5+ people message me saying they need some “Toan Time.” What a great compliment! When I left the news biz, I was dead set on testing this algorithm: Authentic Storytelling + Leveraging Social Media = Action.

More than 60 videos and 200 posts later, I realized this works. The impact is real.

One of our most popular stories is about Jorge Munoz, a.k.a. the “Angel in Queens, New York,” a school bus driver by day and real-life angel by night. For more than a decade, Jorge has devoted half his salary of $700 a week to purchase groceries that fill his tiny shoe box-sized apartment in Queens, New York. He and his family pour love into making home-cooked meals that he delivers each night in his white pickup truck to a subway stop to more than 150 people. No questions asked!

Other inspiring impactful stories include:

Reverend Alerte, who built a high school in his hometown of Grand Saline, Haiti, after the country was devastated by a 7.0 earthquake. This story created a movement that allowed 32 kids to attend school in Haiti.

Dr. Ron Holt’s story about spreading his message of awareness and compassion around the LGBT community inspired people to love their authentic selves and thwart suicides.

We also helped Phoebe Russell, who as a kindergartener enabled a local food bank to give out more than 200,000 meals in San Francisco.

The common thread in each of these stories is that the hero’s journey began with a small act that rippled out to meaningful (and sometimes big) changes.

Don’t think you have the time or money to help others? Meet Claire Lemmel, who used her smile to inspire connectedness and kindness.

So many people have said to me, “I wish I had the time,” or “One day when I make a lot of money I want to give back.” The truth is, you don’t need money or a lot of time to give back. You just have to take action.

Do one small thing to help someone. If you like books, use your power of the spoken word and volunteer to read to kids. If you like to garden, help upkeep or revitalize a neighbor’s yard. The key is to do something, anything that you enjoy and plant the seed.

So, what is your power? What are you doing to make someone else’s life better? We want to know! You just might inspire a movement…pow!

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Join our movement & Go Inspire Go…

The post New Year, New Time to Discover Your Power appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

I was heartbroken when I found out that 62 students couldn’t attend the new Institution Mahanaim High School that Rev. Lemaire Alerte and his Jersey City, N.J., community worked to build in his hometown of Grande Saline, Haiti. It’s the only high school in this area. (Since the high school was completed last year, the need for education was so high that the school is now serving grades K-12.)

I was even more saddened when I found out that it costs only $85 a year to send a child to school. This important opportunity includes a uniform, shoes and books.

I was compelled and empowered to relay this news to my classes at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where I teach a myriad of multimedia classes.

Immediately, hands shot up in the air — many students were adamant about helping. Some students said they were going to follow my lead this Christmas and instead of asking for gifts, they too would ask loved ones to fund a child’s tuition.

One class creatively brainstormed and with very little help from me, they created this video to inspire people to open their hearts:

This ripple of kindness started during the summer of 2010 by another student — Julian Cohen, a junior at a high school in New Jersey when he participated in a five-week summer program at the Academy of Art University. At the end, Julian told me he was inspired by my nonprofit, Go Inspire Go, and wanted to do a story that he had researched about Alerte, whose mission was to build a high school in his hometown of Grande Saline.

There are only two junior high schools in this town. “Every time I go back to visit, the people tell me, ‘Reverend, we need a school,'” Rev. Alerte explained. There are no high schools, so after junior high, the students don’t have a choice but to travel five hours away to attend school. Students whose parents can’t send them to school are resigned to a junior high education.

With fundraisers and community help, Rev. Alerte started to build the school, but had to stop after running out of funds. He needed $18,000 to complete the school.

Julian was moved by Alerte’s efforts and created this GIG story about it:

A few months later, across the country, band students in Kenny William’s class at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., saw the story. The students wanted to help, but they didn’t know how. Their teacher told them that Go Inspire Go’s mantra is “What can YOU do?” so he asked them that simple question. The students decided to orchestrate a winter benefit concert to help Rev. Alerte. Some volunteers helped me produce this follow up video:

The students raised $1,643.85. When I called Rev. Alerte to tell him the news, he was overjoyed. “Thank you, God bless you!” he said. I was pleased to learn that his church helped raise the money to complete the school.

Recently, Rev. Alerte told me the bittersweet news — 177 kids enrolled in the Mahanaim High School, but only 96 were able to attend. 81 are still waiting to get in.

I told Rev. Alerte that the money raised from the Willow Glen High School band class will send 19 kids to school, leaving 62 students needing funding. I made it my personal goal this holiday to send as many of the 62 kids to school as possible.

I’ve never seen my students this excited and take ownership over any philanthropy project. Likewise, many Willow Glen parents told me they too have never seen their children so enthusiastic about anything (especially because this wasn’t “me-centric.”) Meanwhile, my students are using social media to inspire social change and are tweeting, Facebooking and blogging the video to everyone who will listen.

We need your help!

Please go to Haiti Enrichment Foundation’s website for more information and send a check made out to:

Haitian Evangelical Church
2030 Kennedy Blvd.
Jersey City, N.J. 07305

Please specify on the check memo “Mahanaim Student Tuition — GIG”

It’s nice to see that my students using their power (and the multimedia skills I’ve taught them) to give back to other kids who have less resources and privileges. It’s joyful to witness the shift (from me to “we”) that I see in them. They’re learning compassion and experiencing the gift of giving.

Thank you for giving the gift of education!

Happy Holidays!

In service,
Toan
Chief Inspirator, Go Inspire Go

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The post Gift of Compassion & Education: Help Us Send 62 Kids to School in Haiti appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Contrary to all the bad press permeating mainstream media today about the young folks of America ⁠— their bullying, sexting, drugs, alcohol and all sorts of bad behavior ⁠— I believe in the youth and the good they do. I believe in their power to make their mark on our gigantic globe ⁠— NOW.

What I don’t believe in is the seemingly innocent question you and I are too often guilty of asking: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” While I’m sure the intent behind this question is to spark curiosity, hope, or perhaps some forward thinking and goal-setting, I know that our future, our youth, can make an impact now.

Don’t believe me? Just check out some of our Go Inspire Go (GIG) stories about the inspiring youth of America like Lily Gordon, a teenager who is working on beating hunger in Tanzania, or Phoebe Russell who enabled the San Francisco Food Bank to give out more than 140,000 meals, or the band students from San Jose, Calif., who were inspired by this GIG video to orchestrate a winter concert to help Rev. Lemaire Alerte of the Haitian Evangelical Church in Jersey City, N.J., accomplish his dream of building a school in Haiti.

The folks at Youth Service of America (YSA), the world’s largest and longest-running youth service campaign, share the sentiment ⁠— kids have the power to make a difference today.

This weekend, from April 15-17, millions of youth around the world, spanning 100 countries and six continents, will join YSA to celebrate Global Youth Service Day. Witness the wonderful work and service of children and communities working in unison to solve the world’s problems. From elementary school students’ flash mobs in Turkey highlighting the world’s water woes to Georgian kids building playgrounds to enrich local families and communities, I invite you to inspire the youth in your life to take action and be the change. Encourage them to participate in Global Youth Service Day.

As adults, I believe it is our filial duty to give back, inspire and challenge our youth to do better for themselves and others.

One of my favorite quotes is from Desmond Tutu, Angelican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa: “The ocean is made up of individual drops of water.”

We are each a single drop of water moving together to create waves, to create change. My question to you is: Where do you see yourself (and the youth in your life) in the sea of change?

What can YOU do?

Onward,
Toan

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The post Millions of Youth Unite in Global Weekend of Service appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

There are so many untold stories, good and bad, some that are just now emerging. Go Inspire Go (GIG) hopes to continue shedding light and inspiration on how people are helping other people in Haiti and beyond. Here’s an amazing follow up from one of our “Helping Haiti” videos.

Willow Glen High School band teacher Kenneth Williams of San Jose, Calif., saw this recent GIG video about New Jersey Reverend Lemaire Alerte, whose mission is to build a junior high school in his hometown of Grande Saline, Haiti.

“I was inspired because I know how hard it is to build something without having a lot of resources,” Williams said, with empathy and determination. “So when I saw that Rev. Alerte was helping his fellow Haitians by building a school for the kids, I asked my students, ‘What did you do after the earthquake in Haiti?’ ”

Williams was inspired to not only teach a civics lesson to his students, but a lesson in compassion. Wow! I’m so proud of the students who banded together and synergized their resources and talents to give back!

Williams said many students in his six classes initially thought they really did enough to help by using their cell phones to text 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross.

“That’s great, but do you pay for your cell phone bill?” he asked his students.

“No, our parents pay our cell phone bill, we’re not working so we can’t help much,” some students said.

“Oh, so your mom and dad pay your cell phone bill, so they helped the victims in Haiti?” Williams replied. Then came the challenge. The following question, “What did you do?” led to a bigger conversation. How can you use your talents to help?

Take a look at how Williams challenged his students to orchestrate an amazing call to action:

This video epitomizes what Go Inspire Go is all about: To inspire viewers through our videos to use their resources and talents to help others. Williams told me that the more than 100 students organized most of the benefit concert with little supervision. Parents told me that they never saw their children so involved — possessed almost — in helping others. Students told me they were so proud that they could use their talents, doing something they love, to benefit others in need.

I’m happy to see that President Barack Obama nudged former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to take a trip to Haiti this week to raise awareness for earthquake relief.

According to this Huffington Post article, “The ex-presidents are spearheading U.S. fundraising in response to the Jan. 12 earthquake. Tapped by President Barack Obama for the role, they are making the one-day visit to assess recovery needs.”

As President Barack Obama joined forces with Bush and Clinton to assess how to more efficiently help, I am elated to see that many people like Williams and his students are doing what they can and what’s in their power to help.

Great job, Kenneth Williams and the students at Willow Glen High! It all started from a GIG video volunteer Julian Cohen created with us. Williams now tells me the students were so moved by this experience, they will organize another benefit. This time the proceeds will go to helping the earthquake victims in Chile.

So today, I’m signing off on an even higher note… When you put goodness out into the world, like a boomerang, goodness finds its way back.

Onward,
Toan

Related: How You Can Help New Jersey Rev. Lemaire Alerte Build a School in Haiti

The post GIG & Haiti Relief Efforts: As Media Spotlight Dwindles, GIG Moves High School Students to Action! appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

His voice was calm, stern and deeply melancholy. “Please pray.”

I believe in the power of prayer and positive thinking ⁠— and I also believe we can do more to help Haiti. Like Rev. Alerte, I know that, as a global community, we can put more of our time, energy and resources in helping others who desperately need our help.

Rev. Alerte is from Grande-Saline in central Haiti. He has made many missionary trips back to his homeland to help his impoverished community. With a sense of urgency, he tells me that it was already “a bad situation — poverty, orphans.”

All elements in the pandemonium haunted Haiti before the recent tragedy. While visiting his hometown, Rev. Alerte says the constant pleas for education touched him deeply: “Please help us bring education and schools here, our kids need it,” He heard over and over again.

He listened.

For the past three years, Rev. Alerte has been on a mission to build a Jr. High School in Grande-Saline. The total cost: $75,000. Through donations and fundraisers, Rev. Alerte has raised about $10,000 and has spent about $18,000 of his own money for the project. With the $28,000 raised so far, construction began. However, the project can not be completed without your help.

Particularly now.

Grand–Saline was not physically devastated by the recent 7.0 earthquake, but the ripple effects will be felt for a long time. Rev. Alerte tells me many families are flooding his hometown to flee the devastation. Therefore, the need for a junior high school is even more urgent as many children, orphans ⁠— Haiti’s future ⁠— are immigrating to Rev. Alerte’s hometown for refuge, schooling and hope.

Go Inspire Go’s youngest volunteer, New Jersey high school student Julian Cohen, and his friend Jamie Cahn were moved by Rev. Alerte’s story and captured it on video for you to see:

Rev. Alerte is also working with the Red Cross in New Jersey to collect, money, food, clothes and other resources for his community in Grande-Saline. He plans to visit to his hometown at the end of February to oversee construction and connect with his community.

Rev. Alerte listened. But he needs your help.

If you’d like to make a donation to Rev. Alerte’s mission, please visit www.hefoundation.weebly.com.

Please email, FB, Twitter this story and make a small donation.

Related: GIG & Haiti Relief Efforts: As Media Spotlight Dwindles, GIG Moves High School Students to Action!

The post How You Can Help New Jersey Rev. Lemaire Alerte Build a School in Haiti appeared first on Go Inspire Go.