This article was originally published in the February 2007 issue of the KFLA Newsletter.
Hundreds of Heads Books, 2006. 324 pages; $14.95
"In a world of enormous needs and seemingly unsurmountable problems, how do we find our own way to make a difference?" asks Michelle Nunn in her new book, Be the Change!, a compilation of inspiring anecdotes, quotes, recommended resources, and practical advice that effectively answers the question she poses.
Michelle, cofounder and CEO of Hands on Network, one of the nation's largest community-based volunteer organizations, and member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, asked hundreds of volunteers across the country how, and why, they volunteer. She then shares the personal and poignant stories of everyday citizens, business and civic leaders, sports figures, and celebrities, while challenging readers to make their own journey of service and self-discovery. With tips and testimonials, Be the Change reveals what motivates people to serve, what they need to consider before diving in, how to recruit others, and other components of involvement in service projects. Yet, even more so, it provides a chance to reflect on one's own life journey, and where and how one can make a positive difference.
Lending a twist on the usual call to service, Michelle also devotes a chapter to "Selfish Reasons to Be Selfless," and points out the many personal rewards volunteers often reap. From a way to make new friends, to feeling less helpless, to healing old wounds, volunteers point out how much they tend to receive from their experiences of giving. Kellogg Fellow Paul Terry (KNFP 15), who taught public health in Zimbabwe as a Fulbright Scholar, contributes his thoughts on the topic, writing, in part: "People often ask if working on prevention in a country devastated by HIV/AIDS is depressing, and I've always responded that the young people, with their resilience and zeal for life, give me hope. Indeed, AIDS activists in southern Africa often reinterpret the HIV acronym to mean 'Hope Is Vital.'" Be the Change is an antidote to the apathy prevalent in our society. It convinces us that, as Michelle relates in the words of the Hopi Indian elders, "We are the ones we've been waiting for."