Making Somebody's DAY!

By Coach Bay

In November, I attended a leadership forum in Xian, China. The last day, we had CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities. I went for the opportunity to work in a soup kitchen. Little did I know that I was about to meet one of the most authentic and inspiring people, that I have ever met; Tony Day.

Tony used to be a busy executive back in the UK working 16 hours a day, making lots of money, having a nice house, a great car and a sexy red motorbike. In 2002, he went on a retreat and did some soul searching. After 12 years of hectic corporate life, he decided to quit, sell all his belongings and leave the UK. It was something he just felt he had to do.

After traveling in Europe for 2 years, he went to China with a plan of continuing to India. During his stay in China, he looked for volunteer work but did not find any. In the end, he decided to start his own, and he opened the Yellow River Soup Kitchen in Xian. Apparently, the first ever soup kitchen in China. That was December 2005.

Three years later, the soup kitchen has come a long way despite many challenges during the initial years. Tony knows that this is what he is here to do, and he has faith that it will all work out. I asked him why he is doing all this? What is the drive? He looked at me and said “It is in my stomach. I simply got to do it. That is it”. In other words, Tony Day has found his calling, and it is obvious that he has absolute clarity, and is taking massive action.

In addition to serving 2,000 meals per month, Tony has started other initiatives to help the less fortunate. They distribute old clothing and shoes every week, provide basic medical care and operations when possible, Every few weeks visits are made to poor rural mountain villages typically visiting 5 villages at a time and distributing clothing and household goods to up to 1,000 people. They mobilized supplies to the victims of the Sizhuan Earthquake where they helped 2,000 people.

Tony is on a mission, and he has sponsored 90% of the initiatives so far, and he has turned down several potential sponsors, who have offered money. He wants to keep it pure.

When we visited the soup kitchen, we had an opportunity to serve the homeless together with Tony and his dedicated Chinese staff. It was an awesome day, where the homeless expressed a lot of gratitude for all us business people coming to serve them. They also received warm clothes and shoes for the winter.

The business people on the other hand were grateful for having the opportunity to serve the homeless. It was a humbling and touching experience. We saw smiles and sadness, we saw gratitude and we saw pain. Each face told a different story but it was obvious that they all genuinely appreciated what the Yellow River Soup Kitchen provides.

In the last blog entry, we talked about Bill Clinton, Jet Li and other famous people coming together in Hong Kong to discuss how we can make the global village a better place. Tony Day is not famous, and he did not attend the meeting. Instead he has made a commitment to helping less fortunate people in a place far from his home. He is leading by example.

With the risk of sounding like a broken record, we all have an opportunity to serve and make a difference. Few will do what Tony has done but less can still have a huge impact. Tony's charity logo is based on the principle of dropping a pebble in the water and watching as the ripples spread.

We are soon entering 2009, and the world is full of challenges. Whenever there is a problem or challenge, there is also an opportunity to make things better.

The question is: What can and will you do to make a difference?

We can all drop a pebble. Do you remember Jet Li's formula:

1 person x 1 dollar (yuan) per month = 1 big family

This is likely the last entry before Christmas, and I want to take this opportunity to wish the homeless, Tony Day, his staff and all of you readers, a wonderful Christmas. I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"Believe in love. Believe in magic. Hell, believe in Santa Claus. Believe in others. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. If you don't, who will?" - Jon Bon Jovi

Enjoy the holidays.

Keep Inspiring!

Happy Days

Coach Bay