By Catherine de Padua
What do you do when a beggar approaches you for a dollar? When was the last time that you donated to a charity without being asked? To what extent will you help a friend in need? When do the seeds of generosity get planted in us?
My growing up years were especially challenging. My father was a gambling addict, never able to hold down a steady job for a long time. We lived on his unstable income which was never enough. My mother took on part-time jobs to help make ends meet. Despite these financial challenges, my mother always celebrated our birthdays and special occasions with inexpensive gifts and special meals. Although we never received or owned anything luxurious and never went away on holidays like other families did, we were never short of the essentials. We learned to live within our means and to make the best of our simple lives.
I recall clearly a day long ago when a man knocked on our door, asking if he could help with odd jobs in our house for any amount that we could give him. My mother took up his offer without hesitation despite the tight budget she had. When he completed his work, she offered him a meal and gave him a small ang pow of 3 ringgits, an amount that would have fed us a meal.
“I hope that will help him in his situation,” said my mother. It struck me then that despite the financially tight situation that our family was in, there were others who were worse off than us. And no matter how difficult things were, my mother’s big and generous heart had plenty to give. Through many such experiences and actions of my mother, the seeds of generosity had gently been planted in my heart.
Today, no matter how hard it sometimes gets for me, I never refuse anyone who requests my aid. I believe that generosity and kindness means being supportive and inclusive of others regardless of their backgrounds.
Innovative Formula is built on this foundation. Our corporate values of GIVE are borne from this. As a part of our corporate social responsibility, our company has made a pledge to contribute 10% of our nett earnings to charitable causes every year. In the last 12 years, we have so far reached out to the blind, to children needing healthcare, to orphanages, to special-needs children, to performing art centers in support of aspiring youths, to cancer patients and many more.
We hope that by activating our own seeds of generosity, we will make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged and the marginalized. We hope that we will be able to inspire many others so that this world will be a much better place to live in.