The American dream does not    end when it comes true for you.     It becomes your duty to make it     come true for others.
Dr. David Satcher
U.S. Surgeon General
      "For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.  For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.  For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.  For beautiful hair, let a child run her fingers through it once a day.  For poise, know that you never walk alone."
Audrey Hepburn  
Sayings about Volunteerism, Charity, Philanthropy, Inspiration, and Giving.
"Keep a clear eye toward life's end.  Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God's Creature.  What you are in His sight is what you are and nothing more.  Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing you have received...but only what you have given; a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage."
St. Francis
ACTS OF KINDNESS
It has been scientifically proven that regular small acts of kindness have a positive effect on your physical and mental well-being and also on your "longevity."  Kindness is more than a feel-good experience; it is also beneficial for your health.  Kindness benefits the giver and the receiver of such kindness and also anyone who witnesses the kind deed.
"The best and most beautiful things in the world    cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt within the heart."
......Helen Keller
Some Scientific Findings related to the  Health Benefits of Performing Acts of   Kindness:

  1 - A rush of euphoria, followed by a   longer period of calm after performing a kind act is often referred to as a      "helper's high."  This helper's high results in real physical sensations and the release of the body's natural pain killers, the endorphins.

  2 - The initial rush of euphoria is then   followed by a longer-lasting period of    improved emotional well-being.

  3 - The practice of caring for strangers strengthens the immune system.

  4 - Stress-related health problems   improve after performing kind acts.

  5 - When we establish a "connection"  with someone, be it friendship, love or    any kind of positive bonding, we feel     emotions that can strengthen the immune system and promote healing.

"Love is the greatest of all things."  1 Cor. 13:13
The following is something to make us stop and think.  TAKE THIS QUIZ:
1.   Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2.   Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3.   Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4.   Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5.   Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6.   Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?  The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.  These are no second-rate achievers.  They are the best in their fields.  But the applause dies.  Awards tarnish.  Achievements are forgotten.  Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

HERE'S ANOTHER QUIZ.  See how you do on this one:
1.   List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2.   Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3.   Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4.   Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5.   Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6.   Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?  The lesson?  The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.  They are the ones that care.

"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.  We must sail sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it.  But we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
....Oliver Wendel Holmes
"Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy.  You vote in elections once a yeaar, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in."
....Marjorie Moore
"It's not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena - who, at best knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.
.....Theodore Roosevelt
"It is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson