****************************************************************
“A man walking along a beach noticed a child throwing a starfish back into the ocean. The man said, “Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference.” The child reached down and tossed another starfish into the surf and smiled, “I made a difference for that one.” *Loren Eisley
The Starfish Society’s goal is to educate and
to serve knowing that one person and one act
of love makes a very big difference!
There are 3 rules you
must remember in order to become a member:
1-
LIGHT your star
2-
GUIDE your star
3-
SHINE your star
The first step
to being a member of the Starfish Society is learning how to LIGHT your
star.
This involves learning to love yourself inside and out. I believe that
before
you can make others happy and share your “star” you have to “light” your
inner
star.
Example: Focus on the positive things in your
life. Your talents, passions, strong points, and things that you
generally love about yourself. Start with one small thing like "I like
my eyes" or "I like that I am good at soccer" and build on that!
Soon
the positive things that you love about yourself will outweigh the
negative things. Accentuate the positive and learn to love you for being
YOU! Don't try to change into the person your friends tell you to be.
Once you learn to shift your focus to all the positive things you like
about yourself you will be able to LIGHT your inner star!
Once you have lit your star,
it is time to move on to step 2 and GUIDE your star.
Step two, GUIDING your star involves making wise
decisions. Think about important decisions that you are making in your
life right now. Think about how the choices you make have a "domino"
effect. Make wise
CHOICES, and GUIDE my star or your future.
SET GOALS for yourself. If
you have goals, you will make good decisions that help you to accomplish
your
goal. It is not always "popular" to say "no" and that is why it is so
important to have a goal and a reason to say no. For me, I always knew I
wanted
to be Miss America. Miss America doesn’t drink, do drugs, or give in to
peer
pressure. When my friends would invite me to participate in high risk
behaviors
I would politely tell them that “You know what, I’m sorry it just isn’t
worth
it to me”. It took a long time for me to realize that I wasn’t always
going to
be popular for my decisions but that I was going to be better off in the
long
run.
Find your reason and be true to it!
CONSIDER:
1- What would my
mom/dad do if they found out about this choice?
2- Would you be proud to tell
it to them? If not, don’t do it!
3- Will I be proud
of myself tomorrow morning? Will this be worth it in 5 years? 10 years?
4- Listen to the
voice inside… IT IS TELLING YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING!
Once you have
learned to love yourself, and learned to make good decisions it is time
to
SHARE your inner light with others and this is called SHINING!
Shining is about reaching
out to others. This can be friends, family, or perfect strangers. By
doing one
small act of kindness, you can have a big impact.
I have started a campaign
called PENNIES WITH A PURPOSE and I need your help! Click on the
"Pennies With a Purpose Tab" to find out what you can do!
The purpose of this
project is to show that one small act (symbolized by a penny) can
grow into many good acts. One good kind act can
grow into many acts of kindness. All funds raise will benefit The
Childrens' Miracle Network. CMN is an organization that raises
funds for Childrens' Hospitals throughout the United States.
OVERVIEW:
The
Starfish Society teaches children and young adults that their actions
and decisions are important and have consequences. Using story telling
and role playing, elementary school aged children are encouraged to
analyze the pros and cons of drug and alcohol use. In this context,
these children are informed that HIV/AIDS is a fatal disease that is
often contracted as a result of drug abuse. Since HIV/AIDS is the
world’s number one killer of young adults, it is imperative to begin a
campaign to prevent the spread of this disease early.
During middle school and high school, the
threat of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS intensifies. The Starfish
Society provides a straightforward and honest peer mentoring program in
which teens openly discuss this issue and develop strategies to assist
one another in resisting drug use and unprotected sexual activities.
At each level, The Starfish Society
encourages students and their parents to embrace those who are already
impacted by HIV/AIDS and to do “little things” to help. To that end,
elementary school children collect “Pennies With A Purpose” and donate
the money to Children's Miracle Network and AIDS-based organizations
along with handwritten notes of encouragement. Older students raise
funds to sponsor a child with HIV/AIDS for a week at Camp Dreamcatcher, a
camp especially designed for infected children. Students serve as camp
counselors or organize book drives for children hospitalized with
HIV/AIDS. Families donate clothing, food, love and attention to those
in need.
Follow the Starfish Society on Twitter! 
