Angelina Jolie
Eliana is doing something. Earlier this year she interviewed Angelina Jolie at the Santa Barbara Film Festival (go to Santa Barbara Teen Press, http://www.sbmsteenpress.org/, and search for Angelina Jolie) and in response to Ellie’s question about what students today can do to make a difference in the world, Angelina said ‘Find something you really care about’. So Ellie found Rwanda. She is now reading the stories of the survivors and next week she will be getting to meet them, bring prenatal vitamins (every child on her trip will leave 1 healthy mom and 1 health baby in Rwanda by giving a pregnant mom 270 prenatal vitamins), giving Vitamin A and antiparasitics to village health promoters (she is starting to work for Vitamin Angels early!) and play with their children and in the most real way let them know that one thirteen year old girl on the other side of the world heard their story and wanted to do something to make a difference.
| July 19th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Howard, the most striking thing about this story is that Ellie asked the question, “What can students today do to make a difference in the world?” I know she’s heard you talk about making a difference, but more importantly, she’s seen your example. Ellie is an amazing girl, no doubt, but as parents we can follow your example, too so our children will be inspired!
| July 20th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Your daughter really does sound amazing. I hope that I can instill something in my children as well. Some type of selflessness and compassion for those less fortunate. Right now we cannot do a lot, but I do as much as I can and my older boys are beginning to understand. Hopefully they’ll ‘get it’ soon. The younger the better.
What a great example you must be for Ellie to think of such an important question.
| July 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Cheryl and Tamyra,
You both raise this really important point - How do we get through to our children? Especially when they are so isolated from the rest of the developing world and even with people struggling in our own country. My experience with kids is that they really learn on subtle levels. A few years ago we were in Paris walking home at night from a restaurant and we walked around a homeless man who was asleep on the steps of a church. Zoe who was about 11 at the time completely burst into tears. She had seen homeless people in Santa Barbara but never put together where they would sleep at night. That conversation and the fact that we would share leftovers from meals with homeless people, really impacted the kids. It wasn’t anything we said but just the fact that they knew we cared and were willing to hold Zoe while she was crying and commiserate with her on how sad it is that anyone has to sleep on the streets.