“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven't spent the night with a mosquito.”
These words from an African Proverb quoted by the Dalai Lama were shared over the loudspeaker at my school one morning last May.
Later that same day, as my classmates and I were on the playground, a student brought an air-soft gun onto campus and tried to pass it off as a real gun. Throughout all the confusion and fright, I looked around me to see my peers fearing for their lives. Many thought they were going to die that day. I myself was not scared, but I was angry.
I felt helpless. How can a single child make a difference in this giant world? I was close to giving in to the fact that I was too small to change anything, to make a positive impact, when I suddenly remembered the oddly specific quote from that morning.
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven't spent the night with a mosquito.”
If something as small as a mosquito can make a difference, then I certainly can. I took my anger at this negative situation and used it as an impetus to look around and find something positive that I could do to impact my community.
Shortly after, I had the opportunity to meet with John Goodwin from the Clyde Malone Center Center and was introduced to amazing ideas. He explained that much of who we are is based on our experiences; Experiences affect our habits, which affect our thoughts.
The mission of the Malone Center is to end multigenerational poverty in Lincoln. They hope to break this cycle by offering multiple programs and services that provide new and diverse experiences for the next generation. They are currently constructing a new building to replace their run-down facility that is a reflection of their mission and high ideals.
When we think about solving a giant, complicated problem we can get discouraged that we are too small. When we break it down, we start to realize that nothing is too small.
There is no act of kindness too small, no amount of money too small, no person
too small to make a difference.
On the afternoon of the terrible air-soft incident at my school, I set the personal goal to raise $100,000 toward the Malone Center’s multi-million dollar campaign.
My name is Flynn Rash, and I am in 7th grade at Irving Middle School. I want to make a difference. Do you?
I implore you to parter with me to help me reach my goal and make a positive impact on the Lincoln community.
You can also make a tax-deductible direct donation to the Malone Center Capital Campaign at https://malonecenter.org/breaking-the-cycle/ and be sure to write "Flynn Rash" in the comments so that it also counts toward my goal.