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02/02/2005: Heifer International
Today I just got a return comment from the 60 MINUTES staff, Ray Faiola, Director of Audience Services about a story they ran on January 12, 2005. They thanked me for writing a note on their CBS 60 minutes story....wonderfully uplifing... about a girl, Beatrice Biira, and her opportunity to go to a college in the U.S....all made possible by a Goat....Beatrice's Goat.
We became aware of this organization, Heifer International, some ten ago from my sister-in-law who was a large-animal vet. You make donations in the form of money to purchase lifestock to be given to needy children. We had our own young children participate in making the donation and choice of what animals to give (I seem to recall there was a list with outlining how many dollars for a goat, chicken, rabbit, cow, etc.) But the other critical aspect was the education for the child recipient on how to raise, care, breed and look after their animal which was also provided by Heifer.
It seemed like such a great idea and project...and it felt like a way to make a real difference in a child's life.
Watching that 60 minutes program brought back those thoughts and ideals when we made the donation. (Of course we can never be sure who received our actual donation...but it was easy to imagine someone just like Beatrice...and to believe that those few dollars so many years ago transformed a life for the better.)
Karen on 02.02.05 @ 04:00 PM CST
