A few days ago was our quarterly 100 Men Who Give A Damn Calgary meetup.
For those who don’t know, we are a group of 100 guys that meet quarterly and give $100 each to a charity in our community. Small group, big impact.
The selected charity this time around was Variety Alberta. Specifically they were looking for funds to support their Go Baby Go toddler mobility program.
Their mission as a charity is to “ensure that all children with specialized needs can be active participants within their communities.” And the goal couldn’t be more noble. Giving these kids an opportunity to participate in activities that they normally wouldn’t be able gives them a unique opportunity to be independent, just like any other kid. It gives their parents the opportunity to see their kids joy when they get to do something fun, all by themselves. And it also teaches a valuable lesson to everyone about the importance of inclusivity.
During the meeting I was thinking about Seth Godin’s post from February of last year titled ‘You can’t say you can’t play’. According to Godin, this was the one rule that a kindergarten Lenny Levine ran his class by. It means if kids are playing games, and another kid comes along and wants to play they have to be included. That’s it.
While there are plenty of opportunities in today’s society for selection (winning/losing and the lessons that come with it, for example), everyone should always be allowed to at least try. Everyone should have the opportunity to be included.
P.S. 100 Men is currently recruiting. If you’re in Calgary and surrounding area and interested please reach out. Also check out 100 Women Who Care Calgary and 100 Kids Who Care Calgary.