The title of this post echoes the opening line of a schmaltzy ’80s hit but, you know what, if Obama (my hero of the moment) can make a famous Ghandi quotation* his own,** I don’t see why I should be ashamed to say, yes, I have been inspired by Whitney . . . I really do believe the children are our future — teach them well and let them lead the way.
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to meet the Form 3 students at Lodge School. I spoke to them about Habitat’s mission to eradicate poverty housing and was deeply impressed when one of the first questions that came as we got to the Q&A part of the morning was, “When do I start?”
Well, Daniel Kong, I’m glad to give you the answer: 15 November 2008. That’s when you start. I’d like to personally thank you and your Lodge schoolmates for coming to Kampung Senibong in Bau to build with Habitat for the day. You do your parents proud, and you do me proud. I have full confidence that the compassion you’ve shown, by volunteering to build for those less fortunate, will burn within you all your lives.
* “You must be the change you wish to see in this world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
** “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama