When overwhelmed by other's needs and a servant's heart's desire to meet those need, it can be helpful to reflect on the story of a man who walks the beach every day when the tide recedes. With every step, he picks up a stranded starfish and throws it back into the water, likely saving millions of starfish from drying out on the low-tide sand.
One day, a young child asks the man what he is doing, and without stopping, the old man explains that if left on the sand, the starfish will die. They need to be thrown back into the water. The young child then points out there are “hundreds of starfish on hundreds of beaches. How, does this old man really think he can make a difference?" he wonders.
Picking up another starfish, the man looks at it in his hand for a moment. Then, throwing it into the water, he says, “You might be right. I cannot save all the starfish. I can make a difference for this one.”
When the St. Matt’s Fighters for Justice, a small and mighty group of three women from St. Matthew’s Anglican Parish, St. Albert, heard PWRDF’s call to action with the Wild Ride. they knew they could do their part to make a difference in the lives of others. They embarked upon the Wild Ride determined to make a difference to as many starfish as they could reach.
Earlier in the year, Heather Leslie, our parish PWRDF (Alongside Hope) rep, gave a talk about the work and value of the PWRDF in the Anglican Church of Canada and the worldwide communion. The seeds planted by Leslie during her talk came to fruition this past summer with the wildly successful Wild Ride!
Leslie researched the fundraiser in detail and presented the idea to St. Matthew’s, seeking others to join her in the cause. In particular, she is motivated to raise awareness of the worldwide refugee crisis. Jenny Stuart joined the Wild Ride team, inspired by (retired) Archbishop Linda Nicholls’s visit to a PWRDF-supported well in a community needing safe drinking water. The cause also resonated with Heather Gill and her practice of giving time and resources to people in need. Gill feels called to donate to initiatives that support people in other countries who do not have the same luxuries as people living in Canada.
By asking for pledges to walk and learn another language, our determined Wild Ride team raised more than $3,000, pulling donations from our parish, friends and family across the country, and a donation from as far away as Panama We were ranked fourth in the nation for donations raised.
As our assistant priest, the Rev. Rebecca Harris, noted, “It is important to support those who are struggling to survive. I will not ask others to support a cause unless I am contributing to it myself. The Wild Ride was that opportunity.”
With the fundraiser wrapping up, the ladies were asked if they would consider doing it again. Their answer was a resounding, “Yes”! Their only regret was not starting on the cause sooner. One team member even alluded to challenging another parish in the diocese to a friendly fundraising competition next year! Submitted by Angela Bokenfohr, St. Matthew’s Anglican Parish
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