 |
| Art by Kathleen Chosa |
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. - Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez was, among many things, an advocate for serving the needs of the whole community. After years of fighting personal injustice, Chavez made the resolute decision to represent those who needed representation. He chose to spend his life peacefully but fervently leading and serving those who had great needs.
Did you know that in his lifetime, Chavez never made more than $5,000 a year? (Good thing Chavez never defined success in financial terms!) He boldly declared in his actions that success meant making the world a better place – it didn’t mean financial prestige.
Chavez’s greatest achievement was his ability to lead a generation to passionately stand up to better their community. He couldn’t have achieved this without a great deal of personal sacrifice. He was blessed with talent, passion, and a deep sense of what’s right. Instead of using his gifts to get himself out of the poverty he knew, he used his gifts to lift others out of poverty. He sacrificed his time, his talents, and his aspirations to a greater good: the welfare of his community.
Who better to inspire us than a hero who gave years of his life to serve others? Do you aspire to his selflessness and his ability to encourage and strengthen his community? Everything we do in CalSERVES is aimed at just that: serving our community with the time, talent, and dedication of our staff, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers. Cesar Chavez’s legacy has taught us the important lesson that our actions can make all the difference in the well-being of our community.
 |
| Having oranges at the Cesar Chavez Health Fair |
by Lauren Serpa, CalSERVES VIP Project Coordinator
No comments:
Post a Comment