It is amazing to ponder how much our view of the world has been changed by advances in technology and transportation. The internet connects people from around the globe in relationships centered on business, politics, friendship, romance, common interests and new ideas. It places information about people and events thousands of miles away right in front of us through a screen.
The improvement of travel options also means that we can be in Miami at 9 am and be in Haiti before lunch. All of this gives us the opportunity to live “glocally”. This term means that we can be completely engaged in our local community and choose to make an impact in the lives of people around the globe – in places like Haiti.
Jennie and I enjoy a friendship that we have invested in for years with Ben and Cheryl Pace. They are both school teachers at Philip O’Brien Elementary School here in Lakeland. They are amazing teachers with classrooms full of bright young children. They also happen to share our heart for Haiti and the work that is being done through CPI and our partners.
As a result, Cheryl asked Jennie to come share with the children about life in Haiti. Jennie came and shared pictures, told stories from previous project trips, and used objects to help the children understand a “day in the life” of a Haitian child. In response to Jennie’s presentation, the children began collecting money to be donated through CPI to purchase food for our Haitian friends who live in a village named Chauffard. After a few weeks of collecting funds, the children had raised over $160.00. This money will purchase 3-50lb bags of rice that will be distributed to families in Haiti in the coming weeks.
These children are living in a glocal reality and making a glocal impact. They live and attend school locally, but have chosen to make a global impact through a partnership with CPI. As a result, Mrs. Pace and her 3rd grade class are touching the lives of children and their families in Haiti. They now join a growing community of world changers known as CPI Partners.
Are you taking advantage of the opportunity to have a “glocal” impact?
