The Give Project

What or who gives you hope?

I met the person who started this, by sitting outside the student centre of UBC with a few friends who were playing guitar and singing carols. I offered a stranger a chocolate, and asked him about his life, and afterwards walked a way with a new band, and a deep appreciation for a strangers desire to point out the good things that people do in the world.

Today, his actions gave me hope.  

Everyone Wins

Just came home from watching the game with the boys. A 6-2 Oilers win, but the best part was having a chance to give. I had a $10 gift certificate with me and one of the guys also had a card that gave us 20% off the bill. Of course, house rules state that you can’t combine offers. I ended up giving the $10 GC to the waitress telling her to surprise a table. Giftband goes from right wrist to left wrist. Everyone wins!

Coupons for love.

I recently purchased the popular “$10 for $20 at Wholefoods” Living Social deal and was pretty pumped for a great bargain. As I walked into Wholefoods I passed a homeless man standing in front of the store, drenched in rain, rattling an empty Timmy cup in his hand. It hit me, why should I use this coupon to double the amount of food I’ll be consuming, when I can be using the extra value to create value for someone else?

10 minutes later, I left the store with a fair-trade coffee for myself and a spinach bacon breakfast wrap (my favourite) for my new friend. He was so happy and grateful, I felt better than had I ate the wrap myself. As a new consideration moving forward, I’ll now think twice about how best to spread the savings of coupon-crazed consumption. Coupon savings are a great way to spread the number of people that can benefit from the goods being purchased  versus an excuse to consume more for yourself.

I believe!

I live each day doing one good deed because I believe not matter how small it will make an impact on someones life.  I walked with a friend in a hurry to cross the street to get to a store before it closed.  The light was changing and I noted that an elderly lady wouldn’t make it before the light changed.  I told my friend to go ahead, checked my stride and walked side by side with her.  She thanked me and said she gets nervous and tries to time the light so she has time to cross.  She told me that my walking with her helped ease some of the nervousness.  I told her that she helped me fill my heart with a good deed. 

My friend Erin told me about The Give Project and it totally resounds loudly within my life.  She gave me my first GIVE bracelet and I proudly wear it and cannot wait to pass it and its message along and to motivate others to make just one small change in someones life. 

In the pool Give

So I went to swim some lengths rocking a fresh new Give band that Eland gave me about 2 hours earlier and I almost took it off before swimming but then thought “ah it doesn’t matter if it gets wet”.

I’m swimming and swimming and this girl in the same lane as me who had been swimming without goggles the whole time said “Hey, my hair band fell out do you think you could look for it under the water”
So I did, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.
She seemed pretty sad and said “Oh well I was almost done swimming anyways” I’ve never had long hair but I guess you can’t swim without it tied.
But then I caught a glimpse of my wrist and the Giveband, “Hey! You can use this!”
At first she said “No it’s ok”

But I told her that part of the point of the bracelet is to give it away and she could keep it if I explained what it was all about. She loved the idea and seemed genuinely excited not only about theGiveProject but being able to continue her swim.

Passing The Give on a Rainy Day

I became aware of this wonderful project through a friend of mine that gave me a band for doing a random act of kindness that she witnessed. I can’t even tell you what it was, but it made her pass a band to me and explain the meaning behind it. Every morning I get up and look at my right wrist determined to move that band to my left throughout the course of my day.

Just recently I was diagnosed with a reoccurance of breast cancer that had metastisized and spread to two other areas in my body. Devastation, frustration, anger were the mirade of emotions I felt. Yet even with this huge scary “thing” on my plate that little blue band kept me focused on the job at hand-continuing to participate in acts of kindness.

This past Wednesday I was in the Safeway in Newton(area of Surrey BC) and watched an elderly lady struggling with a box of cereal on the top shelf. Having just had recent surgery under my arm I couldn’t reach up either. Not spying a grocery clerk anywhere in the vicinity I took it upon myself to lob a box of Capt’n Crunch at the much desired box of Rice Krispies. Long story short we succeeded in freeing Snap, Crackle and Pop without damaging the Capt’n. My new companion laughed at my antics and proceeded to tell me of her recent stroke and how she too could not reach an arm up that high. We shared war stories and finished our shopping together. With a random act of kindness I managed to move my band over to the left and then witnessed something even more amazing.

I was ahead of her in the line and when it came time to pay I presented my Safeway card whereas the cashier informed me that I was 10 points off of achieving 20,000 points. The lady behind me who had shared a good cereal chuckle with me earlier, asked the cashier to use my points card with her order so that I would get my points. This merrited the actual giving of my Give band to her.

I explained the idea of the band to her on my way to our cars and throughout the talk we had she smiled and promised to wear it everyday. I wrote my name and phone number on the back of the band and told her that I had three strong young men at home that would be glad to help her should she ever require it and that I was available for a coffee anytime.

Later that evening I got a phone call from Julie and she asked if I could come meet with her and her daughter at Tim’s the next morning. I accepted and when I met the two ladies that Thursday morning, somewhat sad that I no longer had my little blue friend on my wrist, Julie’s daughter Alison hugged me and handed me a Give band. She said she had been at a fundraising event and a nice young man had given her one and up until yesterday she had not found anyone to pass it to. My antics with the cereal isle and the giving of my original band touched her heart and she wished that more people in the world were like her mother and I.

I walk around with a huge smile and proudly wear my Give band yet again!

Lori Shier

Live and let GIVE.

I passed my beer across the the table last night, being the designated driver, and didn’t think I’d be passing the GIVE.

I met the GIVE Bros through an old friend. I didn’t feel like going out but went for drinks anyways and had some of the most inspiring conversations I’ve had since sitting on a sand dune in the Sahara with Berbers. After a long round of “speed dating” and making plans to volunteer in Africa, one of the GIVE Bros finally told me about this project. I was hooked the second he put his GIVE band on my left hand.

We settled our bill at the bar and said goodbye to our server, who had been absolutely incredible. She had learned our names, cracked funny jokes, and danced around the table to every throwback track. I was halfway out the door when I thought hey, she gave us way more than she needed to. I walked back to the bar, explained the GIVE project, and gave her the band I’d had for maybe 20 minutes. She said it made her night.

It’s funny how a couple hours at a bar can give you perspective. Big shoutout to Ed and Eland; that’s what you’ve given me.

Summer Night Market

This evening I went to Night Market with my friends. It was very busy. We were enjoying the delicious Hurricane Potato as we saw a $10 bill on the ground. Someone must have dropped it. Then a woman ran to pick it up and walked back to her table. Meanwhile, the poor guy who lost the money had dispeared into the crowd. If you think she might just keep the money and that was the end of the story, you should think again. Amazingly, the woman’s husband, who obviously saw who dropped it, ran into the crowd and GAVE it back. It was pretty awesome.

Pass The GIVE / Pass The Ball

This August we teamed up with Hoops4Hope to run a free basketball camp out of Strathcona Community centre in East Vancouver for kids ages 6-12. We did our best to squeeze in as many mini Michael Jordans as possible as we watched enrolment hit capacity at 40 kids and the waiting list grow bigger and bigger! 

By pairing drills, games, and other basketball activities with a daily life lesson element, the camp sought to develop a sense of community and positivity amongst the kids. 

Amazing speakers, energetic kids, and some awesome varsity coaches made for an epic week. Next year we’ll have to bring out some scouts so we can get the kids drafted!