CSUSB Student Eddie Hahn: The Gift of Time
Our team at ASRL wanted to share a wonderful piece written by Eddie Hahn, a student from California State University, San Bernardino, who has been volunteering with ASRL doing media outreach for Project Reverberate, a youth awareness initiative being launched by the Foundation. Eddie’s insights reflect the importance of the work that you, our ASRL community, help contribute to.
Project Reverberate: The Gift of Time
By Eddie Hahn
I used to run marathons in an endeavor to complete 26.2 miles in the shortest time possible. Now that I am older, I don’t run fast anymore. My goal is simply to “finish” a marathon. After all, only a small percentage of people have ever completed that distance. Time no longer matters. In fact, sometimes the longer I take, the better. The extra time allows me to meet and to encourage a first time marathoner who otherwise may not finish.
There is a group for whom time matters a great deal. For parents of a dying child or a child with a catastrophic illness, time is the most precious thing they have. One organization gives the “Gift of Time”—the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation (ASRL). Based in Los Angeles, ASRL provides urgent financial assistance for mundane things like light bills, rent, and even groceries, so that a parent doesn’t have to make the unbearable choice between sitting by a sick child’s bed and going to work. Many families in the Inland Empire have been supported by the Foundation in their time of need. As the parent of a three-year old boy and a five-year old girl, I cannot imagine nor put into words what I might feel were I a recipient.
Eddie and his family.
In its tenth year of operation, ASRL has provided almost $4 million in assistance to 3,100 families in 21 states. Many of these families live among us in the Inland Empire quietly struggling through an extremely difficult time.
On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, from 8-11 p.m., there will be a celebration to kick-off a national campaign to increase awareness of the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation. Project Reverberate: Echoing the Sounds of Hope, begins with a launch party at the Target Terrace in Downtown Los Angeles across the street from the Staples Center. Rock vocalist Kara Aubrey, a recent CSU San Bernardino graduate and generational ambassador, will be performing at the event. Tickets are $30 and include food, entertainment, refreshments, a silent auction and mingling with celebrities. Tickets and/or donations can be made online at: http://projectreverberate.eventbrite.com. Please buy a ticket or make a donation today. All proceeds go to the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation.
