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The GoodLetter Thursday, May 9, 2002
GoodThings, Inc. :: Stories, actions, ideas, and greeting cards that connect us.
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This Week's Feature
Through A Mother's Eyes
Her daughter passionately making a difference in the lives of schoolchildren all over the world, a proud and gracious mother reflects upon -- and shares in -- an extraordinary gift.
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Editor's Note: With last week's GoodLetter, we saw what Favorite GoodThings 2001 honoree, Deep Roots, has been working on in 2002. This week, we offer a fitting Mother's Day follow-up to last year's GoodLetter on WorldWise, Inc., the co-honoree (with Deep Roots) in the "Favorite Inspiration for a Cause" category. Enjoy...
Fellow GoodLetter readers,
As our plane descended into Cape Town, South Africa, I started having misgivings for the first time about making this trip. The daughter we were going to see had been sailing around the world on a tall ship for the past 14 months. How different would she be? Would we be strange with one another? Would our presence in this new world of hers be a pleasure or a nuisance? Could she reconcile her "real" family with the 40 shipmates who had been her family for over a year?
Our daughter Kate founded a non-profit organization called WorldWise, Inc. in the spring of 2000. Its purpose is to partner with the tall ship Picton Castle to collect educational materials to distribute to needy schools in the remote ports the ship visits as she circles the globe. It also maintains a Web site to enable schoolchildren to follow the voyage via the Internet. By the time of our planned reunion in Cape Town, Kate and her team had distributed almost 20 tons of school supplies, books, and maps to schools in the Galapagos Islands, Pitcairn Island, Palmerston Atoll, throughout Polynesia, the Cook Islands, the Vanuatu Islands, Australia, Bali, the Seychelles, and more.
We had made and cancelled plans to meet the ship before this -- in Rarotonga and in Fiji -- but this time we were determined to do it. On February 15, my husband Frank and I met our other daughter Kelly in Atlanta, and on February 16, we all boarded the South African Airways flight to Cape Town. We arrived in Cape Town on the morning of the 17th, checked into our hotel, showered and changed, and then with great excitement and a little trepidation walked over to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront for our reunion with Kate.
When we stepped on board the ship and Kate appeared on deck, it felt like no time had passed since we parted. Here was our family, all together, hugging and laughing, as if we'd seen each other just last weekend. We met several of Kate's shipmates who were oh-so-familiar to us from having seen their pictures and read about their exploits on Kate's Web site for over a year.
Stacked on deck under protective tarps were 200 styrofoam boxes of schoolbooks the crew had recently hauled out of the cargo hold that were destined for local township schools. Undoubtedly, some of those books I'd seen before - stacked up in our garage on Cape Cod! During the summer and fall of 2000, our family spent many hours collecting thousands of used books from local schools, storing them in our garage, and then loading them into a rental truck to be driven to Nova Scotia and stowed aboard the Picton Castle. Now, together again, this time an ocean away in South Africa, we truly had come full circle, and I was filled with pride for Kate's accomplishment and wonder that it had all come to pass just as she envisioned it.
We spent ten wonderful days in South Africa. While we were there, we had to share Kate with her work. The one thing I did not want was for Kate to feel that our presence in South Africa was a burden, that she needed to entertain us while she was trying to do the work she came there to do. I think we hit a nice compromise. While Frank, Kelly and I did some touring on our own, Kate entertained groups of local schoolchildren on board the ship and supervised the loading of all those books onto a truck for delivery to the schools. One evening we all had the distinct pleasure of dining at the home of a teacher who had befriended Kate on her first visit to Cape Town in 1999. Hearing how much Kate's project is appreciated from a local schoolteacher was immensely gratifying.
It was so surreal for all of us to be together in Africa, and I think it gave Frank and Kelly and me a taste of what Kate's whole last year has been like: seeing things we've only read about in books, experiencing cultures very different from our own, meeting the most hospitable and friendly people imaginable.
One thing we were not able to fit into our schedule in Cape Town -- the only disappointment of the trip -- was a visit to the Siyazakha School, the inspiration for the formation of WorldWise, Inc. When Kate visited Siyazakha on her first world voyage in March 1999, she was moved by the enthusiasm of its teachers and students in stark contrast to their sad lack of materials. Sixty children in a classroom shared 20 desks; children had to share pencils, as there weren't enough for each child to have one; the only person in the classroom with a book was the teacher. By the time the Picton Castle returned to her home port of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in June 1999, WorldWise, Inc. had been created in Kate's mind, and she spent the next year and a half bringing her dream to reality.
The Picton Castle is returning home from its world voyage with Kate and WorldWise on June 8. Before we left Kate in Africa, I asked her if she has conflicting feelings about the voyage coming to an end, and she admitted that she did. On the one hand, she's anxious to come home: to see her friends and family, to have unlimited supplies of fresh, hot water and ice cream, and to resume her "real life" on land. On the other hand, she knows she will desperately miss the camaraderie of her shipmates, the magical nights on watch, the thrill of coming into a new port and confronting a whole new culture, and -- most of all -- the joy of giving books, paper, markers, and maps to teachers who cry with delight at the sight of them.
Before Kate left home to begin her WorldWise mission on board the Picton Castle in December 2000, several friends and family members had asked us the same question: How can you permit her to do something so unconventional and potentially dangerous? And I answered them with some questions of my own: What makes you think she asked our permission? What's to guarantee her safety anywhere, even if she never sets foot on a ship? How could we NOT support her passion to do something so tremendously fulfilling and worthwhile?
Kate turned 30 on March 16, in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. I learned many things on this once-in-a-lifetime journey to Africa, and one of them is this: Kate may be a mature, business-running, globe-circling, ship's-office-running, hard-core sailor woman, but she'll always be our girl.
:: Betsy Menser
Betsy and her husband raised their daughters in Acton, Massachusetts. They are now retired and divide their time between Cape Cod and the Florida Keys. Her favorite goodthings? "Getting our family together in one place! Big, goofy dogs. Powdery sand between my toes. E-mail. Chocolate and vanilla swirled soft-serve ice cream. Road trips. Just the right tennis shot/photograph/gift. That little rush when the lights go down in a theater."
(Thoughts on Betsy's GoodLetter? Inspired by what you've read? E-mail us -- don't forget to tell us your name, where you're from, and if we can use your words in a future GoodLetter or on our Web site.)
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Readers Respond
Thanks to so many of you for sharing your thoughts and ideas about our recent GoodLetter on a British non-profit that's just opened an office in South Africa to help children with special needs reap the benefits of participating in music and dance. We're glad Danielle Bowler's piece on Redzebra inspired you as it did us. Here are just a handful of recent letters from you, the first of which reveals -- like Betsy Menser's GoodLetter -- a family united in making a difference:
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Dear GoodThings,
I am a teacher of a year-seven class of primary school students between the ages of 11 and 13. My school is small but very big in spirit. Our student leaders are anxious, to say the least, about the condition of our world and the tasks that lay ahead of them. It seems from Danielle's GoodLetter [#84, "Making Music Matter"] that Redzebra has discovered a formula for synergizing the dynamics of progress while capturing the illusive wisp of true happiness.
My other interest includes being a director of an English language center in the northeastern region of Thailand. We have a company known as Australian Centre for English (ACE). Our aim is to elevate the lives of our Thai students through the acquisition of contemporary and value-added English language systems. Perhaps there will be avenues for the integration of the philosophies of Redzebra with the particular interests of the young thinkers with whom we are privileged to share universal knowledge and vision.
I should say that I am Danielle's uncle. It is no wonder to me that she has ventured forth into the world to bring harmony and healthy change.
May you always go forward ahead of the herd as does Redzebra.
Warmest regards,
Peter Bowler
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Dear GoodThings,
I am the founder and director of Songs Across the Seas, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing people together, especially children, both locally and internationally, through the performing arts to create greater understanding between diverse communities and to participate in activities that encourage peaceful cooperation. Sound familiar?
I am writing to you from the Far East region of Russia where I have been working for the last month with children from schools, orphanages, ensembles and the streets of Khabarovsk, Ussiriisk, and Blagoveschensk. I come here as an International Volunteer for Peace, sponsored in part by the Rotary Foundation. I came to Russia directly from India where I worked since January with children in small remote villages and cities with multi-million populations.
In India, we created three major festivals involving 40-60 children each. These children were invited from large private schools, government schools, institutes for children with disabilities (polio-affected, hearing and visually challenged) and rural areas where no schools or programs exist. As Young Music Ambassadors, they represented many hundreds of children and were asked to create musical works and artistic expressions which told the world about the needs of children. They presented "The Voice of the Children" to conferences and school gatherings and impressed thousands of people with their kindness and dedication. Many celebrities and officials told television and radio about the children's efforts. India's film star, Nadita Das, was so impressed that she was willing to give a personal message to the very poorest children in a music video which the children helped to create for the eradication of polio.
By the way, thanks for all that GoodThings does! I am very grateful to have opportunities to see the good things that are being done in other countries. Not everyone can travel as I do, but they can connect their hearts through your efforts.
Sincerely,
Joya Wonderlight
:: Did you miss Danielle Bowler's GoodLetter, "Making Music Matter"? Read it now.
We love to hear from you about anything: ideas or situations that are inspiring you or challenging you to think, as well as organizations, programs, and people that contribute to your community and the world everyday. Please drop us a line.
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The Upshot
Each year, the international non-profit organization -- Save the Children -- commemorates Mother's Day with the release of its annual report on the welfare of mothers and children around the world. In its "Mothers 2002" report, Save the Children ranks the top three countries in the world in women's health, literacy, family planning, and political empowerment and access as Switzerland, Canada, and Norway, respectively. All countries are assessed in key indicator areas for children, as well.
Take a few minutes to visit Save the Children's Web site to explore the rest of the top ten and to find out what parts of the world desperately need our attention to ensure the well-being of mothers and their children.
:: Save the Children
:: Mothers 2002 Report executive summary
Remember to be especially good to all the mothers in your life this Mother's Day.
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GoodThings on Public Radio
Have you been checking out our favorite public radio stories? Here are some of our favorite public radio pieces from this week (follow this link or the one below to the full summaries on our Web site):
:: Freedom for A Voice of Hope -- One of the world's most famous political prisoners is released, but does it mark the beginning of a new era for the country best known as Burma?
:: The Music of Change -- The 1992 Los Angeles riots left their mark on an entire country -- and on a whole world of music.
:: A Doctor for the Streets -- On Mumbai, India's mean streets, a former street kid is bringing heart and home-spun first aid to a new generation of "pavement dwellers."
:: Appreciating Teachers -- Every week is Teacher Appreciation Week with the publication of a new book of affectionate tributes.
:: A Chinese WWW (Win-Win-Win) -- A high-technology entrepreneur wants to help the most rural parts of China clear a hurdle towards more sustainable economic development.
:: Shelter from the Storm -- In Nepal, an inspired non-profit is helping street children gain a positive, new vision of the future.
:: Strange Bedfellows -- What happens when a major environmental organization and the US military get together? In at least one case, they're helping give an endangered species a fighting chance.
Visit our site to read full summaries of these stories and listen to your favorites.
Talk to us:
What's the best public radio story you've heard this week?
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