Inspiring Story of Helping Others

Today I just came across an article about this wonderful eight year old girl, Vivienne Harr. She learned about Not For Sale, a non-profit that is helping to abolish slavery and human trafficking across the world. Here is a little bit about her according to her website - Make A Stand Lemonade:

"i am vivienne. i am 8 years old. i am MAKING A STAND. a lemonade stand...and a stand against slavery. i will sit at my lemonade stand every day--rain or shine--until i raise $150,000 for: not for sale an organization that is "re-abolishing" slavery. “MAKING A STAND” means doing the thing you think you can't. these kids don't get to set up lemonade stands in the sunshine or go swimming or play with stuffies. when you buy #MAKEASTAND! lemonade, you aren't just buying a drink, you are MAKING A STAND! 100% of our profits go to not for sale.

i am vivienne. i am MAKING A STAND. will you please MAKE A STAND with me?"

Picture Source

She has been holding this lemonade stand for over 40 days as of now, and has raised thousands of dollars to help against human trafficking. In one day, she raised $10,000 through online donations. I absolutely love what this sweet girl is doing. It just goes to show you that you do have the power to help others, no matter where you are in life.

When I went to summer camp as a counselor for our youth group this year, they had a service where they taught the youth about human trafficking and how prevalent it is, even in the United States. They encouraged us to step up and help with this issue, as it is a huge problem in the world. But, I didn't really leave with a sense of what I could do. After all, I don't know anyone who is a slave. But that didn't stop Vivienne. She has found a very creative way to make a stand and I'm sure that many lives will be forever changed because of her efforts.

I want to encourage all of you who are reading this (that might be like 1,000,000 10-20 people - lol) to go out and find a way to help others. Even if you don't raise thousands of dollars, you can still make a difference in someone's life. Whether that is making a donation to a charity that's close to your heart, collecting clothes or blankets for a homeless shelter, volunteering somewhere, running a 5K with sponsors for a cause, or reaching out to a neighbor - there are so many ways we can help others. Can you imagine if everyone had the mindset of "How can I help?" ? This world would be a different place.

I hope that Vivienne's story has inspired you - it has definitely inspired me. Here is Vivienne's video so you can hear her heart on the matter. If you would like to help her cause, you can donate here.

God Bless!