By: Sarah Trescott
Interactive Marketing Manager
“I know the economy is bad. There is little money available to help those in need. Have hope, faith, follow your instincts, and be generous. Life is a struggle, but life is what you make of it. Adjust your resolutions and you will get there. I am here today because someone carried me.” These words were spoken by Bok Bona Bok, a lost boy of the Sudan, to over 350 women at last week’s 5th Annual Women’s Philanthropic Network (WPN) Power of Your Purse. This event was simply stunning. It was a beautiful night with amazing people, speakers, and fabulous prizes. However, when Bok Bona Bok got up to speak the room felt silent.
Bok Bona Bok stood up and immediately everyone could tell he had many things on his heart to share. Bok spoke of his experiences fleeing across the desert when his village in Sudan was burned to the ground. Carried 1000 miles by his uncle when he grew too weak to walk, Bok Bona Bok’s story radiates a depth of courage and resiliency that touched hearts and brought genuine tears. It is Bok Bona Bok’s story that truly brought everyone in attendance back to why we all came—to make a difference in our community. His story is one of a little boy who was carried on the shoulders of his uncle through some of the most horrific experience, and he lived! He lives now to share hope, and to give back.
As I sat listening to Bok Bona Bok’s words I could not help but reflect on my own life. I see the ripple effect and impact this recession has had on my family and the people around me. When I heard Bok Bona Bok speak I could have easily felt guilty and negate the experience of people in my community who are hurting because, after all we did not have to walk a 1000 miles to safety. But I did not feel guilty. Rather Bok Bona Bok helped me feel an enormous sense of pride. I was looking at a room with 350 people in my community who care and who want to make a difference. I felt empowered, as did many other women in the room. If he could face overwhelming odds, then we too could overcome any obstacle in our path. And if Bok Bok could inspire hope and commit to be the change he wanted to see in the world, I certainly could do the same.
We all have deserts in our path and personal mountains to climb. We can all point to amazing people in our lives that have carried us at key points in our journey. We have all been recipients of the generosity of time, love, or resources from people in our lives. Bok Bona Bok’s experiences in life might be a little more dramatic then what most of us experience, but his call to have faith, not lose hope, follow our instincts, and be generous is something we all can relate to and practice in our lives. Since listening to Bok Bona Bok I have been asking myself, what are you going to make of your life today?
