Reflections About Learn-A-Thon 2011 (Part 2)

Raindrops splattered on window panes like starbursts – hundreds of them racing each other.

Beyond the roofing ledge, their watery cousins were pouring angrily. The sky was dark and the horizon, misty.

As I looked out of the window in Melbourne, Australia, my sight had gone beyond the scene before me. I was visualizing scenes of the floods miles away in South East Asia.

I could not erase photos I saw in the newspapers from my mind, scenes of pain and suffering…

An idea was germinating in my mind but I wondered, ‘How could I implement it?

Miles away, little time, tons of workload and limited resources. What could I do?’

I did what I thought was a simple thing, a thing that accumulated and grew into something beyond my expectations.

It was a ripple that became a tidal wave, a snowball that became an avalanche.

I sent a simple message to my friends and also total strangers – through Facebook, email and SMS.

The responses came….And continued even until the eleventh hour.

People, busy people with full-time jobs, came from all walks of life in response to the call. Ordinary people on the street, each of them with unique God-given gifts and talents.

All of them came with hearts of gold and a willingness to serve (sacrificially, if I may add).

14 of the top wealth-creation gurus stepped forward. Professional firms offered their services.

Within 24 hours of our hastily convened meeting, we had a beautiful blog (http://learnathon2011.wordpress.com) and an online registration (http://learn-a-thon2011.eventbrite.com).

Shortly after that, a touching video was created. Personal messages of love kept rolling in.

The cry for help was heard in many corners of our small red dot.

Waves and waves of participants began to register online. We had to change the venue to the newly-renovated Kallang Theatre to accommodate the crowd.

More ideas, from the creative to the wacky began to take shape.

Everybody wanted to give back.

It proved to me that Singapore has a heart. Love, compassion and kindness is alive in our community.

There is no barrier to stop us from our care and concern.

There are many people out there that want to do their part.

It does not matter how much time, effort and other resources are put in – every little part counts. Together, we can start a wind of change for a good cause.

Meanwhile, the volunteers worked… and worked…and worked… At 3AM, messages were still flying around across the Net.

I once quipped, “If we factor in the time and resources invested in Learn-A-Thon 2011, it should be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Call us idealists if you will, we wanted to put love back into the soul of humanity.

We wanted to touch hearts, to spare more than a thought for our brothers and sisters suffering in these floods.

From the bottom of my heart, I’m grateful for all the responses.

To each and every one of them, I pray, “May you be abundantly blessed. “

An idea has turned into a movement of love.

Go4It!

I hope this message will find a place in your heart.

By the way, I have also recorded other reflections.

Please go to ‘Notes’ found below my profile picture.

Visit my Inspiration blog at http://liewinspiration.wordpress.com/

Visit my Transformation blog at http://hsrpatrickliew.wordpress.com/

Please read them and continue to teach me.

Life is FUNtastic!