To start us off, a poem Adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley

Starfish Thrower

An old man walking along the beach came upon a child sifting through debris left by the night's tide. Occasionally, he would pick up a starfish and toss it back to the sea.

The old man asked him the purpose of his efforts."The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach. They will die unless I throw them back."The old man looked around at the miles of beach."There are more starfish than you can ever save. You cannot make a difference."

The child bent to pick up another starfish and returned it to the ocean. Then he looked up at the old man, smiled and replied,

"I can make a difference to this one."

Dove Program: Small Voices that make a significant impact

The Dove Program has been one of the most puzzling and rewarding projects I have ever taken on. These girls are hungry for change. They want to change the world; my job is to help them achieve this. As we grow up, We look at what we can do to move ourselves ahead. In some of my research, I have looked at happiness and what makes an individual happy. A few days ago, I was reading about the link between compassion and joy. The intriguing point the Dali Lama makes is that to be truly happy, you need to practise kindness and caring for other people. I read a quote that stuck with me: “When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us to develop inner happiness and peace.” some of the best times with the girls has been raising money for other organizations. Children love to help people; they want to ensure everyone is okay. We have talked about gender equality quite a bit. I told them that some individuals wouldn’t attend school one day because they were girls. They were shocked; they said along the lines of “Well, that isn't fair. They should be allowed to go to school, everyone should”. These are such simple words but so incredibly accurate.

Children symbolize everything innocent, I feel. They want to help and ensure everyone is okay, which is one of my favourite parts about children. They look at people like they are people. They don’t see race, culture, disability, etc. They want everyone to be okay, but I am unsure when that perception changes. At what point do we accumulate the belief that to be happy, we have to build ourselves up no matter what?

My father told me at one point, “Last time I checked, we are still in Cape Breton, and in Cape Breton, we help people.” I try to show the kids this. They have taken this and expanded on it, my girls. They want to change the world.

Community projects are a massive part of the program. To date, the girls have participated in the following community projects

Cards for Seniors-over 50 cards to the Northside hospital

40 surprise bags for the pediatric unit in the Cape Breton Regional Hospital

Over $1000 was raised for the Cancer Center at Cape Breton Regional Hospital

They have also assembled multiple birthday parties and get-well-soon cards for loved ones in the program.

Their current project is their biggest yet: a clothing and food drive to address our community's two significant challenges. They will split the proceeds between three different organizations on the Northside

These girls show the main point of this poem.

I can make a difference to this one.

The girls realize that the Dove Program is not about fixing the world's problems in 10 easy steps (I wish it were). But these girls are making a big difference in the world around them.