Life isn't always easy, but it sure can turn out great. Take, for example, talk show icon Oprah Winfrey whose life began roughly with abuse at a young age. Today, she's not only an extremely successful television personality, she's also one of the world's most famous philanthropists, having recently opened a school in Africa to educate underprivileged African girls. It seems a florist in Chicago has found that good things can result from some of the bad turns life occasionally throws us.
In 2003, florist Jim Harney, owner of Aberdeen's Wedding Flowers, had gathered together 150 toys at his shop's annual Christmas party. He planned to present the gifts as a donation for sick children in the area. But, just days before the holiday, someone stole every last one of the toys.
Harney was shocked. He said of the ordeal, "I couldn't believe that there was anyone in this world that would want to take toys [from] sick kids."
Harney reported the story to the police and the incident was later covered by several news channels. The response was overwhelming. Hundreds of people showed up at Harney's flower shop with toys in hand. That year, the shop collected more than 7,000 toys.
The donations left Harney with such a warm feeling that he made the toy drive a yearly tradition. In 2006 Harney and his son-in-law Frank Davis worked together with 15 volunteers to collect over 11,000 toys, which they dropped off at 52 Chicago hospitals and children's centers.
As part of their charitable efforts, Harney and Davis founded The 100 Percent Foundation, a non-profited organization that gives 100% of the donations it receives to charities. The expenses required to run the organization are paid by Harney and Davis themselves. In addition to collecting donations for charity, the organization also assists in hospital fundraisers and plans outings and parties for children who are ill.
Harney says he plans to continue his charitable efforts for a long time. "It just makes me feel good," he says. "I want to do this for the rest of my life."
Perhaps Harney's desire to do good is the result of spending his days in the presence of flowers, which have been proven to increase people's feelings of compassion. Or, perhaps like Oprah Winfrey, Harney just has a strong desire to give something back.
Copyright: Copyright © 2007-2008 Wesley Berry, AAF
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