The Legacy and Gift of Teaching Philanthropy

Never doubt the impact of living your purpose and speaking that truth can have. Bob Hopkins is a Dallas philanthropist who has been teaching elementary school children across the world how to volunteer in order to help them become the best version of...
Never doubt the impact of living your purpose and speaking that truth can have. Bob Hopkins is a Dallas philanthropist who has been teaching elementary school children across the world how to volunteer in order to help them become the best version of themselves and contribute dynamically to their communities. In this episode, we talk about some of his programs and the effect they had on then 9-year old Amit Banerjee who could never forget Bob’s words. He took them home with him and they completely transformed his family conversations and actions to embrace philanthropy. Now at age 20 Amit is running Philanthropy Kids to keep his mission alive and growing by celebrating and inspiring philanthropy in the next generation of youth.
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There are some people that make their
work just another thing they have to do,
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and there are those that make their
work something that they want to do.
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Welcome to Working on Purpose with your
host Elise Cortes. In our program,
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we provide guidance and inspiration from those
people who have found deeper meaning and
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personal connection to their work life.
It's beyond nine to five. It's working
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on Purpose. Now Here is your
host, Elise Cortes. Welcome back to
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the Working on Purpose Show. Thanks
for tuning in again this week. I'm
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your host, Elise Cortes. Joining
you live from Dallas, Texas, which
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is home base for me. If
you've been tuning in for a while,
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then you know those programs all about
helping people create more meaningful and productive personal
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and work lives and equipping leaders insight
organizations to cultivate meaning and purpose, illicit's
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passion inspired contribution, innovation, and
persevering performance. I talk with my guests
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to draw on their expertise and they
are my own experience, consulting, speaking
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and developing workforces across the globe.
Every week in these conversations, I hope
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you walk away with something you can
immediately put to use in your life.
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And that you come alive with the
possibility of living with passion, working on
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purpose, and are aspired to discover
for yourself just how big and fulfilling your
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life, work and leadership can be. And if you do catch fire from
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anything you hear, reach out and
tell me about it. I want to
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hear from you. Email me at
a least at at least Coortes dot com,
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or go to my website and use
the contact me feature there to message
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me and tell me what you need
for me. Whether you want to hear
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about what's coming up on the radio
show, whether you want to join one
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of our catch fire online inspiration,
accountability or mastermind communities, or you want
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some information about a purposeer of and
leadership programs. At any event, I'm
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happy to talk with you and I'm
glad we're connected. Thanks for listening this
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week's program, Here we go Today
we celebrate philanthropy and living and working with
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purpose. With us today is the
dynamic duel of Bob Hopkins and Emit Banergy.
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Bob is a philanthropist, educator and
change make up to all kinds of
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things in life, and Admit is
the CEO of Philanthropy Kids, a nonprofit
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dedicated to helping and celebrating inspiring philanthropy
and youth. He's also a student at
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SMU studying eleectrial engineering, and like
Bob, involved in a whole host of
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other philanthropic efforts. We're recording this
together in Bob's office in Dallas, Texas.
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Bob and Admitt, Welcome to working
on Purpose. Thank you, thank
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you, thank you. Thanks for
having us. It's so great to have
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you both here, both of you, two handsome men. Sorry listeners that
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you can't actually see them, but
I can. So let's start if we
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can here. Bob, you and
I met several years ago, and I
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had you on the radio show a
couple years ago, and we'll talk about
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that in just a second. But
catch us up. What are you up
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to in the world. You're out
changing the world, making a difference.
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You're a role model, You're an
activist. I don't even know when you
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sleep. You're tireless, you're writing
a book, you're teaching in Texas and
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Mexico. What else, what else? What else? Whatever you tell me
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to do, I'm going to do. You know, at least I'm one
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of these people that takes opportunity and
I tell my students. I'm a college
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professor. I tell my students take
opportunity, don't miss out. Somebody says,
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let's go someplace, do it.
Go if you can. Anyway,
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thank you for inviting us. I
have a midmanergy with me. We've known
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each other for a number of years
and I have He was in fourth grade
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now he's a junior in college.
He was in fourth grade when he was
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in my class. It was called
Philanthropy and Volunteerism in Entrepreneurship PAVE. It
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was an organization that I created nineteen
ninety seven something like that, And I
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don't remember exactly when I meet was
in my class, but we've been connected
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all these years. His mother,
and his brother and his dad, they're
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all connected as well. We've even
taken a trip together to Mexico to do
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good good things like paint a school
for children and do some social entrepreneurship work.
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We took ten other people with us, and so we are now talking
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about going to India next December and
take ten students with us, and we're
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going to do the same thing,
work with children, teaching social entrepreneurship.
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So back to your question, what
am I doing these days? I'm constantly
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thinking about what I'm going to do
next, and your program is about purpose.
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I think we all are hunting for
purpose, and I'm hunting for the
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next thing I do. But right
now I'm teaching college and still working with
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my PAVE program. A couple of
things that I want to say really quick.
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One is that I stand for this
place of really celebrating our one precious
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life. What are you going to
do with this one precious life? And
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I really am struck by all the
both of you are up to, and
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I meet so many people and I
often wonder to myself, is that all
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you really want from this one precious
life? That's all you want? You
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two or the other end of the
spectrum of course, right, we really
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really do want and want to give
a lot to this life. And I
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want to share for our listeners,
Bob that when I interviewed you, interviewed
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you back in March of twenty sixteen, we were in your classroom for the
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radio show conversation. And one of
the things that I've never been able to
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forget about that conversation is when I
ask you the question, I said,
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Bob, what is it that motivates
you? Where does all this energy come
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to do everything you're up to do. You remember what you told me.
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No, you got this really soft, thoughtful look on your face, and
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you said something along the lines of
I just want to make sure that I've
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done enough. Isn't that beautiful?
Oh well, I don't know, I
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think this. So that's one of
the reasons I had to have you come
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back. So you said in that
conversation, one of the things we talked
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about is the reason you do the
work that you do, especially with your
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with your volunteerism education programs, is
that you believe, and maybe you have
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research on this, that when you
teach young people to volunteer and be philanthropic,
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that you then set them on the
path of life to be able to
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avoid incarceration, to avoid being poor. That it's it, really, it
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really will lift up a society in
many, many, very many ways.
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Can you say more about that perspective? Well, now that you're talking and
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you're asking me these questions, you
know, at least people ask me why
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do I do what I do?
And it's not because I feel like I
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have to be busy all the time. But my answer is quite simple.
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It's what makes me happy and I
guess, and you have to find what
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is happiness? And I don't know. But when I look at the projects
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that I create, or the students
who are listening to what I have to
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say and they respond and they get
it and they light up, that makes
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me happy. And I can remember
being in Mexico working with children and after
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a semester going in once a week
with students and seeing them shake hands and
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see a child change just because of
a handshake. You know, tears started
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rolling down my cheeks because it made
me happy to see somebody be changed because
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of something that I created long ago. And I think that's the answer.
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Here is what makes you happy?
And I know purpose obviously is what's going
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to make people happy, But can
you define yourself when you were happy and
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what made you happy? Was it
ice cream or was it a kiss or
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was it a hug or was it
somebody who said something to you? I
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don't know. At the end of
the day, when you go to bed
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and you go to bed happy thinking
of what happened that day, I guess
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that's the purpose. Well, that's
beautiful, and I think I would add
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something to that from what I know
of you and how I've seen you work.
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Is that when we stand in our
purpose and we get to live our
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purpose through our work or through our
lives, it gives something to us.
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It lets us stand in a place
of inspiration. And I think those tiers
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that you felt were probably also tears
of being moved, that you were inspired
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by what you saw in that child. I'm going to guess in addition to
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being happy, yes, no,
kind of sort of yes, kind of
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sort of. And you know,
I'm looking at a met here, and
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that's he's the one who makes me
happy because I met him when he was
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nine years old and now he was
twenty, and I have seen him develop
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through the years, being just a
student in my class and hearing the word
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philanthropy. And I'll let him talk
and then see what he's done with his
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life, which is unbelievable and amazing. Well, and talk about impacting making
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a difference, And so I'll get
to that in just a second, amit.
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I definitely want you to share you
with our listeners. But the thing
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about this is, I think most
people get up in the morning, and
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I don't think few of us get
up and go. You know, I
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hope that nobody notices that I'm around
today. I hope that nobody really gets
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the memo that I exist. I
doubt very few of us get up that
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way. Most of us want to
get up and know that our lives make
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a difference, and we individually matter. I'm seeing nodding heads, and so
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certainly you are an example, I
believe of somebody who's really mattering, Bob,
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and so are you, Amit.
So the reason we're having this conversation
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is when I went back and revisited
that conversation that we had back in March
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of twenty sixteen, and I looked
at that pave program that you're up to,
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and I thought, wouldn't it be
interesting if we could talk with somebody
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who's been through that program and see
how it might have affected them. Did
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it actually make a difference to them? Which is why we're here today.
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And you suggested we talk with Emit, which I think is fantastic. So
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let's turn it over to you,
Amit. Hello, Welcome to working on
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Purpose. Hi there. It's just
so great to hear you're twenty years old
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and you're really up to amazing things. I mean, you've got this nonprofit
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that you started, which we want
to hear about you're a student studying at
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Southern Methodist University electric Engineering, and
you do all kinds of other volunteer activities.
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It's really impressive, emit. So
first, would you just say a
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little bit about help us understand your
world. Speak up a little bit so
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we can hear you what you pour
yourself into. Say more about who you
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are. So I like to live
my life by this kind of four part
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mantra. I like to think,
I like to learn, I like to
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help people, and I like to
help people help people. And you say
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that one more time, place,
that's great your mantra, one more time.
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I like to think, I like
to learn, I like to help
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people, and I like to help
people help people. And so, whether
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it's the academic part of my life
or the film big part of my life,
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I'm always trying to incorporate all four
of those kind of tenets into what
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I'm doing. So when I'm in
the classroom at SMU, while you know
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I'm thinking and I'm learning about math
or history or whatever it might be,
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I'm also trying to think, how
can I put a film topic angle to
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this. And when I'm out in
the phil community, like I'm volunteering I'm
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getting my friends involved with community service
and volunteerism, but I'm also thinking of
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it in a kind of a different
way, like how can I be innovative
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with this? How can I be
more analytical? And how can I be
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more thorough to make it more make
the impact more effective? And or I
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guess more or create more of an
impact I guess is what I'm trying to
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say. Okay, two full up
questions if I can. Yeah. First,
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we were studying electrical engineering. Why
electrical engineering? So I when I
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was in school, like middle school
and high school, I figured that I
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was I realized it was good at
math. And then like when I started
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taking physics classes, I really liked
physics and I thought it was cool because
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it kind of explained, oh,
when you drop a pencil, this is
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why it falls to the ground,
And that was just fascinating to me,
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and it was something I was better
at than some of the other subjects.
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So I thought, let me look
into that. I also have an interested
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in clean energy and finding renewable energy
sources, and with a background in electrical
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engineering, I could be more informed
when advocating that or even like you know,
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developing something if it comes to that, Oh my gosh, that's beautiful,
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really really impressive. It's just so
many young people when they're out considering
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what shall I study, I don't
think put that kind of thought into it.
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Yes, they think about what am
I good at, which is great,
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that's very very important, But then
considering what do I do with that
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in the world. I think as
a young person that can be very hard.
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So the fact that you can connect
that with renewable inner and other things
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that you're interested in, I think
that's that's phenomenal. So the second question
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is, and it might point to
what we're going to get to here,
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is it sounds like you've got this
lens for philanthropy, so you want to
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sprinkle that in what you're doing with
your conversations and the work that you're doing
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with your work with your found your
organization. What's your bent on that?
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Why is it so important to you? So I'll tell you a little story
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about kind of how I got introduced
to the word fil entropy. As Bob
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mentioned, when I was nine,
I was in fourth grade. I was
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a mccoylementary in Carrollton, Texas,
and one day my teacher said, Hey,
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there's this guy Bob Hopkins. He's
going to teach this course to the
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next eight weeks. It's called pave. It's answered philanthropy and volunteer isn't in
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an education And I was, I
was a you know, fourth grade I
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was like, Okay, I guess, well, I guess that's what it's
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going to be for the next eight
weeks. And on the first day of
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this eight week course, miss rappings
rights on the board philanthropy, and underneath
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it he writes pelos and anthropoy the
Greek or Latin stems, the Greek stems
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for love and mankind. And he
tells us philanthropy is a big word,
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but all it means is the love
of mankind. And it was that sentence,
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that statement that kind of got all
these gears turning in my head.
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And over the course of eight weeks, we learned everything from how to write
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like a letter asking for donations to
a specific cause, to how do you
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interact with the high network potential donor
and like as as a fourth grader,
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we're learning about strong like strong communication
skills that are needed to be effective in
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the film's opic community. And so
this this class was super formative in helping
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me shape my worldview and realizing that
I can integrate philanthropy into everything because it's
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not just about raising money or donating
money. It's about showing people that you
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care. And when miss Ropkins kind
of took us through this course, I
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realized I can live a philandemic life
every single day as a fourth grader and
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as a twenty year old. That
still holds true. I really try to
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keep that through and through and I've
stay connected with Mis Ropkins. We've done
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a lot of projects together. We're
still doing a lot of projects together,
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and it's all that focus. It's
all focused around helping people realize that you
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don't have to do your ritual to
be a philanthropist, you just have to
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care. That's beautiful and on that
note list, take our first break.
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I'm Alis Cortez, your host.
We've on the air with Bob Hopkins and
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Admit baner Gye. Bob is a
philanthropist, educator, and change maker up
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to all kinds of things in life, and Admit is a EEO of Philanthropy
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Kids and nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and
inspiring philanthropy in youth. We are together
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in Bob's office for this conversation.
We've been talking a bit about the two
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of them in their worlds, what
they've been up to, and how they
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met after the breaker. Going to
talk more about amidst experience in the program
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and why it was so informative to
him and what they're up to together.
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Stay with us, We'll be right
back. Alice Cortez is a speaker and
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engagement and development catalyst. She designs
and delivers professional development, leadership and engagement
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workshops and can bring her expertise to
your organization. She will help ignite meaningful
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00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:58.039
development within your workforce that will increase
employee engagement, performance and retention. To
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00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:03.039
learn more or to invite Elise to
speak to your organization, please visit her
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00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:07.759
at www dot Elisecortes dot com.
She would welcome the opportunity to help get
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your employees working on purpose. This
is working on Purpose with Elise Cortes.
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To reach our program today, send
an email to a lease Alise at Alisecortes
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dot com. Now back to working
on Purpose. Thanksteresting with us, and
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welcome back to working on Purpose.
If you're just joining us. My guests
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are Bob Hopkins and a Meet Banerjee
Emmett Amit Banner. She Bob is a
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philanthropist, educator, and change maker
up to all kinds of things in life
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and admit as the CEO of Philanthropy
Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and
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inspiring philanthropy in youth. He's also
a student at Southern Methodist University studying electrical
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engineering, and like Bob, involved
in a wo host of other philanthropic efforts.
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I'm your host, Police Cortes,
So if we can go back,
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I mean, I want to hear
a little bit more about this whole experience,
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because like both of you, I'm
also making a difference in the world
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and being able to really presence for
us. Really, why that that original
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class stuck with you? I mean
you could have forgotten this. I mean
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you were in fourth grade. I
mean it was an eight week class we
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say in Texas. You have slept
since then, so you could have forgotten
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this stuff, but it didn't leave
you. So tell us a little bit
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more about what's happened over the years
and how that original class has continued to
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affect you. So a little bit
of background, Like my parents were very
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involved with like me while I was
growing up, and they were always encouraging
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me to be involved in things and
you know, care about the community and
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be active in the community. I
was also involved in boy Scouts. I
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was in a cub Scouts since I
was in first grade, and I stayed
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that for several years. So when
it came to community service and volunteerism,
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it wasn't completely foreign to me.
But PAVE was structured in such a way
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that it helped me just really understand
the breadth that Flintree can cover. And
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what I really liked about it was
it was a very kind of academic approach
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to something that you kind of quote
unquote learn on the fly otherwise. And
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so it really took us through everything
regarding the philanthropic world, and it wasn't
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it was made to where fourth graders
could understand, but it wasn't dumbed down
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for us, if that makes sense. We learned everything about how to identify
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causes that we care about. We
had to choose between several nonprofits to decide
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which one we were going to fundraise
for over the eight week period. So
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we had to know how to look
at an nonprofit and say I like this,
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I like the goals of this organization, and I like what they stand
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for and I think they're worth supporting
as well as raising money for. We
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learn about how to interact with potential
donors, so when we do like reach
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out to them for financial support for
our donation drive, we are effective while
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we're only nine years old. We're
able to maintain eye contact, We're able
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to have a firm handsheet, create
these really strong first impressions that just help
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strengthen the relationship that help acquire those
donations. And these are things that nine
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year olds are not usually exposed to. But it was the course itself.
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It was well organized and well executed
to where we can understand what's going on.
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And this is quote unquote an adult
topic that, like you know,
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nine year olds are not talking about
day to day. It's something that it
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entered out conversation afterwards. Okay,
got it. Now, when did you
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start philanthropy? Kits, What year
was that? How old were you?
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So after I graduated the paid program, the word philanthropy never left my brain.
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It was always like it just kind
of like in the background, in
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the foreground. It was always there. I was still involved in boy Scouts
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and I was working on an Eagle
Scout rank and one of the requirements for
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the Eagle Scout rank is to execute
an Eagle Scout service project. And I
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knew that mister Hopkins was the expert
on anything philanthropic, and so we reached
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out to him and said, Hi, mister Hopkins, I'm working on an
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Eagle Scout project and I know you
like have tons of wisdom. Can we
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meet and talk about what potential project
that can undertake? So we meet and
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immediately we like, just it's been
a couple of years, but we reconnect.
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I think it was twenty eleven,
so you were I was thirteen thirteen
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and so a few years removed from
the pay program, but we still hit
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the ground running and decided, let's
create a platform to highlight the stories of
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kids or highlight kids doing good,
however big, however small, And that's
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one of the kids started. You
were thirteen years old. Go ahead.
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It was a magazine. Yes,
it's a magazine, okay, because I
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was publishing a magazine at the time
called Philanthropy in Texas, Okay, and
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then Philanthropy World Magazine. And so
we determined through our discussions that he needed
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to create a magazine himself. But
it had a different focus. It was
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philanthropy Kids, so it was about
kids doing good things, and it was
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a couple of year project, but
he got it done and did his first
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issue that he got his Eagle Scout. And we're still continuing. I mean,
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here we are. He was fourteen
then and now he's twenty and we're
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still working together. And let me
just say something really important here. Number
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one is he comes from an upper
middle class family. He's got parents,
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a mother and a father who care
a lot about this child, and they
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don't ever leave him by to do
anything by himself. They're real parents,
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which I think is really important in
the development of a child, is their
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parents. Absolutely. Okay, So
anyway, his mother is now the executive
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director of actually my nonprofit organization,
and he's the CEO of the board the
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board of that same nonprofit organization.
So we we're still working together, and
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we're going to go to India now
and take students there to work. He's
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Indian, to work with students that
he already knows from his mother's hometown,
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which is what nagpooragpoor in part of
India's atte it's like dead in the center.
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Okay, they've already been and he's
already talked to kids there. So
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it was so successful and so wonderful
we decided to make it one of our
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annual trips to go with students to
that activity. So anyway, I think
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the parent thing is really important.
Another thing is really What I have determined
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though, is that if we want
to really change the world, we need
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to change kids who are poor.
Yes, so how do I get to
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poor kids? Well, I went
to a school and I said, usually
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I get the best of your best
kids. I want the worst kids.
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And they said, no, you
don't, don't want the worst kids because
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they're really bad. And I said, no, no, we want the
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worst kids. And I took students
with me to go and do the same
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project to see if we could change
the minds and the hearts and maybe the
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future of children who are in poverty
and who will be in poverty generation after
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generation. So that is now our
focus is poor kids, not necessarily going
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to schools where the rich kids are, because we see that kids are kids,
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and if we can change what they
want to do with their lives instead
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of doing drugs and alcohol and drop
out of school and instead think they want
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to be an electrical engineering engineer because
they have these role models. Now they're
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coming out of colleges and that's where
it fits in again, only he's now
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the teacher. I think a really
cool aspect that we've been focusing on is
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like self esteem and trying to boost
that within a lot of the kids that
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we're working with, helping them find
their purpose and helping them realize I,
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as a kid can do something meaningful. And that's what that's one of my
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favorite parts about the paid program as
a student and now as like more an
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administrator, I want to be involved. Pick me, Yeah, you can
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go where you can go? Do
you want to go to India? Seriously?
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I love India. I've been there
in twenty fourteen. I love it.
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I love your country and it's beautiful. It's the culture is astounding,
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breathtaking. Your food is magnificent and
makes me fat because I eat a lot
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of it. But that was a
great, great addition. Thank you both
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for adding that. And at this
point I do want to I want to
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just surface for our listeners. You're
your connection. So Bob, first,
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what did you see in a met
You met him when he was nine years
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old? What did you see in
this young man? I didn't see anything
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when I taught the class, because
he was one of twenty or thirty students,
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and he wasn't necessarily a standout because
all the kids were standouts, right
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yep. But obviously what we said
to him about philanthropy, he went and
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told his dad I wanted to do
something in philanthropy. And his dad went
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found my email address and said,
you don't know us, but we know
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you. We met you when and
me was in fourth grade, and this
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is of course five years later.
Would you be willing to meet with us?
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And so the whole family came and
met with me, and we decided
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to meet every month for about six
months to figure out what to do here.
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And you know, again, it
made me happy to see what I
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had created and what was happening now
with this kid, and so I would
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he's so excited to go see the
family because you know what, I changed
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mom, and I changed dad.
And then now their son, they have
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got another son who also got his
ego Scout, and he's just as much
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a part of all of this.
Is deal and his mother says, this
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changed our whole family. Oh that's
so great, up, I know,
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like our dinner table conversation there's so
much different than what they were, you
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know before the paper room, or
like the fact that like you know,
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my I mentioned my mindset changed,
but yeah, everyone in my family,
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like each of their mindset changed,
like they just continue to think about a
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philanthropy like with every action they have. And so like the pay program,
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like definitely like kind of bleeped outside
of the justic classroom. It goes back
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home too. And now I have
a book called Philanthropy Misunderstood. Yeah,
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I want to hear about that.
I'm going to ask you about that.
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So this is stories of people who
are doing great things and why they do
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them and what they get out of
it. Because I think that everybody is
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hunting for a purpose. I think
everybody wants to find out what can I
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do? What can I do?
And so I think that we learned by
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other people's experiences and so not just
my experiences. So I have one hundred
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and eleven people who are in the
book who are of course, these are
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people I have worked with over the
years, and I wasn't the star.
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They were the star. I worked
with them. Though I've been to Nepaul,
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I've been to Haiti, I've been
to Mexico three or four times with
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people who are doing significant things for
others. And so it's not just teaching
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this. I mean, you know, it's building something. And of course
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the whole purpose of the book,
it's not what you bought, it's what
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you built, and so it's programs. And these could be people who wrote
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checks, but that's not what the
focus is. The focus is people who
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are doing real things in philanthropy,
which is called the love of mankind.
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Okay, So anyway, hopefully people
will get ideas from reading this book about
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what they could do, because we
all can do something and it's just that
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we just don't know what it is. And that's where we come in.
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Okay, So a couple things about
that. Bob. When is a book
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coming out? It'll be out in
October October twenty nineteighteen. Let's watch for
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that Listener's Philanthropy Misunderstood. That's what
it's called. Okay, So what I
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want to say about that that I
think is so great? On I know,
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I'm writing a book too. Takes
an awful lot of work to write
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a book, takes something to birth
that thing. What I really appreciate about
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what you're up to in that book. Initiative is that you're trying to one
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showcase the contributions of other people,
and that's just like you to do something
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like that, but two to be
able to provide something that maybe gives ideas
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to others for how they two can
one find their own purpose and to contribute
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meaningfully. That's beautiful. Yeah,
that's the purpose of the book. People
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ask me where did I get my
ideas to do things in philanthropically? And
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it started with my mother, you
know. And I think I asked.
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I did a questionnaire, are you
born a philanthropist? Are you born a
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giver? Or do you learn it? And ninety nine percent of the people
402
00:28:56.319 --> 00:28:59.960
say they learned it. I think
I learned mine too. Of course,
403
00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:02.160
who'd you learn it from? Well? I learned it because my mother.
404
00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:03.319
She took me here, here,
here, here to do this. This.
405
00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:07.200
This. My dad, he was
an Allons club. He was doing
406
00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:10.920
pancakes on Main Street downtown Garden City, Kansas. And I watched him do
407
00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:12.920
that, and then I watched him
knock on doors asking for money for the
408
00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:15.480
church. And then I saw my
mom and then I saw my dad,
409
00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:18.480
and then they put me in stuff
and I was doing stuff all the time,
410
00:29:18.519 --> 00:29:21.920
But I didn't know it was philanthropy. I just figured it was a
411
00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:25.799
way of living. But you know
what, Alis, and this is what
412
00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:30.240
disturbs me, is that there's so
many millions of people in the United States
413
00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:33.599
who don't have a purpose because nobody
ever taught them that they needed one.
414
00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:38.200
We have people in our country who
are just barely getting by. They don't
415
00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:44.880
have time to volunteer. They don't
have time to make a difference. Oh
416
00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:47.759
so well, said Bob. And
on that note, let's take our last
417
00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:49.200
break. I'm Alice Cortez, your
host. We've been on the air with
418
00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:53.480
Bob Hopkins and Emit Banerjee. Bob
is a philanthropist, educator, and change
419
00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:56.440
maker up to all kinds of things
in life, and Admit is the CEO
420
00:29:56.480 --> 00:30:00.799
of Philanthropy Kids, a nonprofit dedicated
to help ready and inspiring philanthropy in youth.
421
00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:04.119
We are together in Bob's office for
this conversation. After the break,
422
00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:06.920
we're going to hear more about what
the two of them are up to.
423
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:30.720
Stay with us, We'll be right
back. Alise Cortes is a speaker and
424
00:30:30.920 --> 00:30:37.480
engagement and development catalyst. She designs
and delivers professional development leadership and engagement workshops
425
00:30:37.559 --> 00:30:41.279
and can bring her expertise to your
organization. She will help ignite meaningful development
426
00:30:41.319 --> 00:30:47.440
within your workforce that will increase employee
engagement, performance and retention. To learn
427
00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:51.279
more or to invite Elise to speak
to your organization, please visit her at
428
00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:56.079
www dot Elisecortes dot com. She
would welcome the opportunity to help get your
429
00:30:56.119 --> 00:31:07.240
employees working on purpose. This is
working on Purpose with Elise Cortes. To
430
00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:14.279
reach our program today, send an
email to a lease Alise at a Lasecortes
431
00:31:14.359 --> 00:31:21.440
dot com. Now back to working
on purpose. Thanks for staying with us,
432
00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:23.440
and welcome back to working on purpose. If you're just tuning in now,
433
00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:27.440
My guest is Bob Hopkins and Amit
Energy. Bob is a philanthropist,
434
00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:30.519
educator, and change maker up to
all kinds of things in life and Admit
435
00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:36.960
is a CEO of Philanthropy Kids,
a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and inspiring philanthropy
436
00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:40.480
and youth. And he's also a
student at Southern Methodist University here in Dallas,
437
00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:44.240
studying electrical engineering and like Bob,
involved in a ho host of other
438
00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:48.799
philanthropic efforts. I'm your host Elise
Cortes. So, gentlemen, for this
439
00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:51.839
last bit of time here together,
let's talk a little bit about what you're
440
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:56.319
both up to together. So,
Ahmet, you are the CEO of Philanthropy
441
00:31:56.359 --> 00:31:59.799
Kids. I did notice that there
was a person, a woman who had
442
00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:02.400
your similar last name. Now I
know what's your mother that she could Here's
443
00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:06.319
a great thing is I thought she
could actually be your sister, which is
444
00:32:06.440 --> 00:32:09.759
fantastic. I'm envious of that really, So you can pass that on to
445
00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:13.759
her, would you please? Okay, she can give me a hug later
446
00:32:13.799 --> 00:32:16.759
on. So let's talk about what
you're up to. What do you do
447
00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:22.880
when I pactive the kids? So
right now we're trying to We're always on
448
00:32:22.920 --> 00:32:27.359
the hunt for stories. We're always
asking students or asking kids around the world
449
00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:30.000
like, hey, if you're doing
good, send us your story. It
450
00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:35.720
could be anything from holding a door
open for someone to creating international nonprofit that
451
00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:40.400
builds wells in third old countries.
And so we're always on the hunt for
452
00:32:40.440 --> 00:32:45.680
stories and we're always wanting to publish
them. And we're moving to a digital
453
00:32:45.720 --> 00:32:50.759
medium, you integrating more social media
and things like that. Additionally, we're
454
00:32:50.839 --> 00:32:52.480
trying to expand the paid program as
much as we can, because the more
455
00:32:52.559 --> 00:33:00.759
kids that we can reach out to
and teach about philanthropy, the more kids
456
00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:04.640
will know about pilanthropy. And as
Bob mentioned, it's incredibly important to like
457
00:33:04.920 --> 00:33:07.960
helping them find their purpose and stuff
like that. So those are kind of
458
00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:12.359
the two projects that we've had and
we're still continuing to do. We have
459
00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:16.880
a class starting actually in June,
every Saturday in June for three hours from
460
00:33:17.279 --> 00:33:22.359
nine until twelve with lunch. Every
Saturday, that'd be five. We will
461
00:33:22.359 --> 00:33:27.519
be working with twenty students and they
have to sign, they have to pay,
462
00:33:27.519 --> 00:33:30.359
and as they pay fifty bucks or
something like that, and it includes
463
00:33:30.359 --> 00:33:36.960
their lunch and they get volunteer fundraising
people who have been through the paid program
464
00:33:37.119 --> 00:33:39.519
to be part of this deal and
meet will be there, I will be
465
00:33:39.559 --> 00:33:43.319
there, his mother will be there. And then we have a teacher who's
466
00:33:43.359 --> 00:33:45.920
been through the pay program and helped
develop it named Alison Johnson. She was
467
00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:51.160
a student of mine at Eastfield College
ten years ago, went to SMU,
468
00:33:51.319 --> 00:33:54.920
graduated doing wonderful things as well,
but this is her volunteer activity. So
469
00:33:55.400 --> 00:33:59.079
in June, if you can tell
people how to get in touch with us
470
00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:01.359
of course and they want us sign
up, they would be terrific, And
471
00:34:02.559 --> 00:34:05.920
well, let's do this real quick
then, So for listeners, you just
472
00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:07.440
heard two things. Two calls to
action here. One is if you know
473
00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:12.199
a story of a kid who's been
up to something, you got to reach
474
00:34:12.239 --> 00:34:15.840
out and tell these two about that. And then two, if you want
475
00:34:15.840 --> 00:34:20.039
to be part of this class in
June or other classes in the future on
476
00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:22.119
the PAVE program, then you want
to reach out to go to if they
477
00:34:22.119 --> 00:34:25.199
go to Philanthropy Kids dot org.
Yeah, there's a contact feature, right,
478
00:34:25.280 --> 00:34:28.400
Yeah, it is a contact feature. And if you go to fillinthpkids
479
00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:30.760
dot org slash submit, they'll be
able to submit a story. And if
480
00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:36.599
you go to fillinthpkids dot org slash
pave pa VE, they'll be able to
481
00:34:36.599 --> 00:34:40.599
find out more information about our upcoming
programs. Okay, so two more things
482
00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:45.559
real quick. So I think it's
important that we that we understand that just
483
00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:49.800
really what's happened here with the two
of you, which I just really applaud
484
00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:53.840
and appreciate and want to celebrate,
is that. So Bob Hopkins started this
485
00:34:53.880 --> 00:34:59.280
PAVE program, this educational outreach and
got involved with you, and you've grown
486
00:34:59.360 --> 00:35:01.960
up as a as a very entrepreneurial
young man, so I want to talk
487
00:35:01.960 --> 00:35:07.039
about entrepreneurship as well. And somewhere
along the line, something happened magically in
488
00:35:07.079 --> 00:35:13.480
that those two worlds collided and that
I believe Philanthropy Kids acquired the Pave program
489
00:35:13.559 --> 00:35:16.800
and now the two of you are
working together. Yeah. So, like
490
00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:21.360
I started to playing the Kids as
my ecoscale project, and at the time
491
00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:27.480
the focus was create this magazine as
we collect stories and publish these stories.
492
00:35:29.159 --> 00:35:32.159
And then I was working with mister
Hopkins on it as like he was a
493
00:35:32.199 --> 00:35:37.000
mentor during the whole process and he
was very involved in the creation of that.
494
00:35:37.639 --> 00:35:45.239
Additionally, mister Hopkins is still the
pay program was still alive and still
495
00:35:45.239 --> 00:35:49.920
a functioning organization, and we thought, hey, we're already working together.
496
00:35:50.280 --> 00:35:53.000
Let's see if we can just you
know, do both. And so mister
497
00:35:53.039 --> 00:35:59.880
Hopkins called me, i think in
twenty thirteen and said, hey, let's
498
00:36:00.719 --> 00:36:04.880
revamp the Prey program. It'll be
like under Flying to Be Kids, and
499
00:36:04.920 --> 00:36:08.679
we'll integrate entrepreneurship. So instead of
philanthropy and volunteerism in education, it'll be
500
00:36:08.719 --> 00:36:14.480
filmed philanthropy in volunteerism in entrepreneurship.
And it'll still you know, have the
501
00:36:14.599 --> 00:36:19.199
education aspect in it. It's still
a course, but we not only do
502
00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:25.880
all the nonprofit analysis and all the
communication skills development, we're now also adding
503
00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:34.159
social entrepreneurship skills and things like that
to the curriculum. Brilliant. It's so
504
00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:37.719
brilliant, and that was mister Hopkins's
idea. It's brilliant. It's so it's
505
00:36:37.719 --> 00:36:44.719
so timely, it's so relevant.
Who reads your publication? So our target
506
00:36:44.760 --> 00:36:49.920
audience is kids who are you know, theoretically, they see another if they're
507
00:36:49.920 --> 00:36:52.440
an eight year old and they read
a story about another eight year old,
508
00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:54.800
they get the idea that, oh, this eight year old did something cool
509
00:36:55.039 --> 00:36:59.119
that helps someone. I can do
that too. But we also have a
510
00:36:59.119 --> 00:37:01.360
lot of adults that are that are
just interested in seeing, oh, look
511
00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:04.800
at what are these kids are up
to. They're doing a lot of meaningful
512
00:37:04.840 --> 00:37:10.159
things with their life at twelve years
old, fourteen years old, five years
513
00:37:10.199 --> 00:37:15.239
old. And so it's kind of
a mixed audience in terms of age ranges.
514
00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:20.280
I want to go back to what
you said earlier about that I was
515
00:37:20.280 --> 00:37:22.239
going to pick up on a night
then I forgot about it, and that
516
00:37:22.360 --> 00:37:27.079
was what you said when kids are
involved in some kind of volunteerism and what
517
00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:30.320
that does for their lives, and
what you just said there meant so what
518
00:37:30.360 --> 00:37:36.320
a beautiful contribution to the world that
you are giving young people, kids an
519
00:37:36.320 --> 00:37:38.880
opportunity to see for themselves what they
could contribute to the world at a very
520
00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:40.880
young age. I could do that
too. That kid did it, I
521
00:37:40.920 --> 00:37:45.559
could do it too. That is
such a beautiful contribution. And so what
522
00:37:45.599 --> 00:37:49.320
I know from the work that I
do in the purpose space is that when
523
00:37:49.360 --> 00:37:52.920
we are focused on contributing to other
people, it takes away our focus on
524
00:37:52.960 --> 00:37:58.880
ourself and it makes us healthier,
happier human beings. And when we can
525
00:37:58.880 --> 00:38:02.000
stand in that place, it really
does take away depression, which is a
526
00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:07.239
big problem in the world today.
And to your point earlier about helping to
527
00:38:07.239 --> 00:38:13.400
start to eradicate poverty and a life
of crime, that goes a long long
528
00:38:13.480 --> 00:38:16.920
way. And if you're here together
working where you're trying to really help instill
529
00:38:17.000 --> 00:38:22.079
in the young minds of people the
possibility of really contributing on this kind of
530
00:38:22.119 --> 00:38:24.960
a scale and starting to discover their
own purpose again, I'm completely in.
531
00:38:25.039 --> 00:38:29.639
I want to completely celebrate anything that
you're up to and support it. So
532
00:38:29.639 --> 00:38:34.480
I'm happy that you're here sharing what
other programs, what else are you up
533
00:38:34.519 --> 00:38:37.920
to together? Well, I want
to say something about our program and where
534
00:38:37.960 --> 00:38:42.159
it needs to be. It needs
to be in school systems, in school
535
00:38:42.199 --> 00:38:46.440
districts, we have not been able
to significantly get our program in the inn
536
00:38:46.519 --> 00:38:49.920
in the middle of the day.
They say, we can do this before
537
00:38:49.960 --> 00:38:52.800
school or after school, but we
can't take away from science and math,
538
00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:57.000
because that's what the tax test is. That's what these tests are all about.
539
00:38:57.239 --> 00:39:05.199
For recognition and for sivils. They
think that passion and academics go together
540
00:39:05.239 --> 00:39:07.920
automatically because of what you learn in
science and math, which is not right.
541
00:39:08.239 --> 00:39:12.280
We think that you need to teach
the heart as well. In fact,
542
00:39:12.280 --> 00:39:15.679
when completely agree, when we teach
the heart, it increases self esteem,
543
00:39:15.719 --> 00:39:19.119
and when you increase self esteem,
academics get better. Choices are different,
544
00:39:19.199 --> 00:39:22.239
and if every school district had a
course like this talking about the heart
545
00:39:22.280 --> 00:39:24.400
instead of just science and math all
the time, we probably would have some
546
00:39:24.840 --> 00:39:29.159
kids who are wholesome and who would
not be in. So many people in
547
00:39:29.159 --> 00:39:34.480
prison and doing so many bad things. And I've seen it happen individually.
548
00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:39.719
Now I just have to get this
transferred to the minds of administrators of school
549
00:39:39.719 --> 00:39:43.360
districts. Okay, this is such
a great point. So in terms of
550
00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:45.760
what you're both up to, Wow, this would this is a huge next
551
00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:51.039
step and evolution in what you're doing
together to move this into the pike of
552
00:39:51.079 --> 00:39:53.679
making this part of the everyday part
of going to school. And I am
553
00:39:53.719 --> 00:39:59.360
completely with you. I think it's
a crime that we have one taken out
554
00:39:59.400 --> 00:40:04.039
a lot of the art programs today. Now we take out the heart piece
555
00:40:04.039 --> 00:40:07.000
of it. What's left? Do
we just want to become all robots here
556
00:40:07.039 --> 00:40:09.760
in the world. I don't think
so. So what is it going to
557
00:40:09.800 --> 00:40:14.679
take, gentlemen? How do we
Hopefully we've got some administrators listening to this
558
00:40:15.119 --> 00:40:17.320
who maybe can start to move the
dial and reach out to you. But
559
00:40:17.360 --> 00:40:22.239
what's it going to take to get
this mainstream? Well back to me again
560
00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:25.760
just for the thing that let let
me make a decision here about what he
561
00:40:25.800 --> 00:40:30.719
wants to say about about it.
I think the philanthropy in nineteen ninety didn't
562
00:40:30.760 --> 00:40:32.960
exist. Nobody knew what it was. Today everybody knows about it. I
563
00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:36.760
see it, I read it,
I hear it every single day. Now.
564
00:40:36.800 --> 00:40:39.320
Philanthropy and giving back. And now
I think there's a lot of programs
565
00:40:39.360 --> 00:40:42.920
out there that are happening. So
I do think things are happening. I
566
00:40:42.920 --> 00:40:46.400
think it's happening slowly. I just
want to encourage everyone to do what they
567
00:40:46.440 --> 00:40:52.000
can to make sure that everybody's involved
in a project or so, and everybody
568
00:40:52.039 --> 00:40:55.840
has a purpose and everybody can do
right for the world. I don't think
569
00:40:55.880 --> 00:41:00.400
necessarily a lot of our role models
right now are talking about the heart and
570
00:41:00.480 --> 00:41:05.079
talking about being kind to each other. And I think that though those of
571
00:41:05.159 --> 00:41:09.440
us who believe in this can do
something every day to tell somebody else about
572
00:41:09.480 --> 00:41:14.320
the need and the necessity to pay
attention and do something good for somebody else
573
00:41:14.400 --> 00:41:20.079
just today, I wholeheartly agree with
that. And to add, I think,
574
00:41:21.039 --> 00:41:22.920
yeah, the word philanthropy and the
concept of philanthropy, it's a lot
575
00:41:22.960 --> 00:41:28.920
more commonplace and a lot more familiar
to people now than I mean, I
576
00:41:28.920 --> 00:41:32.719
can't speak for nineteen ninety, but
even its like but yeah, like,
577
00:41:32.760 --> 00:41:38.440
it's it's very It's talked about a
lot, whether kids my age, like
578
00:41:38.639 --> 00:41:44.440
in the early twenties, or like
kids my parents' age, or like kids
579
00:41:44.480 --> 00:41:51.679
my brother's age, who's fifteen was
sixteen sixteen. Yeah, So, but
580
00:41:51.760 --> 00:41:53.920
I think like one thing that we
also need to take into consideration is that,
581
00:41:53.960 --> 00:41:58.840
like, every community has its own
culture and its own identity, and
582
00:41:59.440 --> 00:42:00.840
we need to make sure that,
like, while the pay program should be
583
00:42:00.840 --> 00:42:05.760
applied to I think every school,
I agree with that, we should make
584
00:42:05.760 --> 00:42:08.079
sure that, like we're looking at
it holistically and saying, hey, in
585
00:42:08.119 --> 00:42:13.840
this, in this at this school, it should be taught with this small
586
00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:17.360
spin on it or with this small
spin on it at this school. But
587
00:42:17.360 --> 00:42:21.440
for the most part, it's the
same overall curriculum. It just might be
588
00:42:22.039 --> 00:42:23.960
different, you know, a different
service product in a different part of town,
589
00:42:24.159 --> 00:42:30.239
or like a you know, different
format in another one. So I
590
00:42:30.280 --> 00:42:36.599
think just understanding that, like,
while we want it to be extremely like
591
00:42:37.679 --> 00:42:40.719
you know, prevalent, we want
to make sure that we're not just you
592
00:42:40.760 --> 00:42:45.239
know, saying one size fits all, and understanding that we do need to
593
00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:51.760
take into consideration the individual identity of
each school in each community. I got
594
00:42:51.800 --> 00:42:53.880
that. I got that. So
what I what I want to say here
595
00:42:53.920 --> 00:42:57.880
really quick to what you're both said
about this where you're where you're at in
596
00:42:57.960 --> 00:43:01.119
terms of taking this to another level. You do that, and you know
597
00:43:01.159 --> 00:43:05.519
you really are going to change the
world. You are already changing the world
598
00:43:05.559 --> 00:43:09.239
today, but you get this into
the school system and we're talking whole next
599
00:43:09.280 --> 00:43:16.000
stratosphere. So is there another step? Could you start by going into the
600
00:43:16.079 --> 00:43:22.559
private school system? Well, you
know, private schools obviously are children who
601
00:43:22.719 --> 00:43:25.199
are usually upper middle class. Yes, and I think our focus needs to
602
00:43:25.199 --> 00:43:30.719
be on the poor kids. So
we're working with schools that are predominantly minority,
603
00:43:30.800 --> 00:43:34.599
and that's where I really want to
go and what's really what I want
604
00:43:34.639 --> 00:43:37.639
to do, because we have seen
the same success in those kinds of schools
605
00:43:37.639 --> 00:43:42.599
as we have in schools that have
upper middle class students. Upper middle class
606
00:43:42.599 --> 00:43:46.000
students come from parents who probably do
some volunteerism. Unfortunately, I think,
607
00:43:46.519 --> 00:43:50.880
as they say, ten percent of
the population does ninety percent of the work.
608
00:43:50.920 --> 00:43:53.440
I want to make this sixty percent
of the population is doing ninety percent
609
00:43:53.480 --> 00:43:57.599
of the work. You know.
I think it's an issue of access,
610
00:43:57.719 --> 00:44:00.440
and we want to run access to
those who don't already have that as to
611
00:44:00.480 --> 00:44:04.960
it. With private schools, they
would likely have access to it, whether
612
00:44:05.199 --> 00:44:07.360
they or not. We might be
able to influence some things, but we
613
00:44:07.400 --> 00:44:15.880
can probably make a bigger impact working
with a different kind of schools, right,
614
00:44:15.920 --> 00:44:16.880
and we have so many cultures now
to talk about. I mean,
615
00:44:17.559 --> 00:44:22.360
because of the immigration of this country, which is how we're built, etc.
616
00:44:22.719 --> 00:44:25.719
We need to focus on people who've
never heard of helping anybody at all.
617
00:44:25.800 --> 00:44:29.920
I went to Mexico and they didn't
get it. They don't understand it.
618
00:44:29.960 --> 00:44:32.039
They say the government is responsible for
all this. We're not so responsible.
619
00:44:32.239 --> 00:44:35.800
And I had to convince them to
do it. And then when they
620
00:44:35.800 --> 00:44:37.480
did it, they gave me an
applause. Thank you so much, Thank
621
00:44:37.480 --> 00:44:40.199
you so much for helping us and
making us do this, because we see
622
00:44:40.239 --> 00:44:45.679
now the benefit that we have individually
for doing something good for our community instead
623
00:44:45.679 --> 00:44:49.360
of waiting for the government to do
everything. Oh that's called empowerment right there.
624
00:44:49.440 --> 00:44:52.800
That is fantastic, and of course
I stand for that too. In
625
00:44:52.880 --> 00:44:55.079
our last little bit of time again, we've just got a few minutes left
626
00:44:55.079 --> 00:44:59.519
here, I think it will be
really wonderful a contribution and a gift to
627
00:44:59.559 --> 00:45:04.079
our listener if you could each just
say a little something about what is it.
628
00:45:04.119 --> 00:45:06.719
I mean, you've got this one
precious life. And if you don't
629
00:45:06.719 --> 00:45:09.079
mind me asking, I know you're
twenty a min Bob, how are old
630
00:45:09.079 --> 00:45:15.679
are you these days? I'm Satan's
single single, He's seventy five, still
631
00:45:15.679 --> 00:45:19.360
going strong, and I don't even
don't. I don't see an endpoint here.
632
00:45:20.199 --> 00:45:22.239
So help us understand, Bob,
what is it? What do you
633
00:45:22.280 --> 00:45:25.760
really want your life to stand for? Well, you know, I'm just
634
00:45:25.760 --> 00:45:29.400
doing one project at a time.
Right now, I'm doing this book.
635
00:45:29.440 --> 00:45:31.280
I'm putting my whole focus in on
this book. It's two hundred and fifty
636
00:45:31.320 --> 00:45:36.679
pages of wonderful things that people are
doing, and hopefully that people will get
637
00:45:36.679 --> 00:45:38.280
into the hands of a lot of
folks who will say I can do this,
638
00:45:38.400 --> 00:45:40.320
I can do that, I can
do this, I can do that.
639
00:45:40.639 --> 00:45:45.400
So my minus distribution of this book
right now, and that's that's my
640
00:45:45.480 --> 00:45:47.960
focus. Plus, we're teaching a
class and I'm just waiting for the next
641
00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:52.039
step. So any of your audience
who has an idea of what I should
642
00:45:52.039 --> 00:45:54.360
be doing next? Have it?
That? Mean? Do you hear that?
643
00:45:54.519 --> 00:45:59.480
Listeners? What do you have for
mister Bob Hopkins to do next?
644
00:46:00.079 --> 00:46:02.360
Okay, admit what about you?
Well, when we started the show,
645
00:46:02.440 --> 00:46:05.519
I mentioned that I like to think, I like to learn, I like
646
00:46:05.519 --> 00:46:07.159
to help people, and I like
to help people. Help people and while
647
00:46:07.159 --> 00:46:12.719
it might be for individual statements,
I think it's a progression at first,
648
00:46:12.800 --> 00:46:15.920
I like to think, and then
that moves on to learning, and then
649
00:46:15.920 --> 00:46:21.039
that moves on to helping people using
what I've learned, and then it goes
650
00:46:21.079 --> 00:46:23.360
to the empowerment that you mentioned earlier. Helping people help people, And I
651
00:46:23.400 --> 00:46:27.519
think that's what I want to like
in my life, knowing that I did
652
00:46:27.679 --> 00:46:31.440
a successful job of getting people involved
in causes that they care about and getting
653
00:46:31.480 --> 00:46:35.400
them to sustain it throughout their life. So that way, while I can
654
00:46:35.480 --> 00:46:38.920
volunteer every weekend, and I probably
will, if I can bring my friends
655
00:46:38.960 --> 00:46:44.280
to it and help other people start
volunteering every weekend, then you can just
656
00:46:44.360 --> 00:46:49.760
maximize your impact. Completely agree with
that. And since I think all three
657
00:46:49.800 --> 00:46:52.360
of us care about there seems to
be an interest in the global connection,
658
00:46:52.480 --> 00:46:58.119
the planetary connection here. I love
the idea that you're taking this program back
659
00:46:58.159 --> 00:47:01.599
home to India. I just think
that it's just so so important. And
660
00:47:01.760 --> 00:47:07.000
so is there anything about the the
the global nature of what you're up to
661
00:47:07.119 --> 00:47:10.000
that calls you so? I mean, like I was born here, my
662
00:47:10.039 --> 00:47:17.079
parents immigrated here, and like it's
just like I, so I grew up
663
00:47:17.119 --> 00:47:21.559
with understanding both cultures, both like
the Anian culture as well as the American
664
00:47:21.559 --> 00:47:25.079
culture, and knowing that like there
are differences in the way that like people
665
00:47:25.559 --> 00:47:30.199
act and just interact with each other, there's always an opportunity to like,
666
00:47:30.320 --> 00:47:34.960
you know, learn from other cultures. And if we can share this with
667
00:47:35.719 --> 00:47:39.679
the any people and we can learn
something from them, I'm happy to continue
668
00:47:39.679 --> 00:47:45.239
that relationship. I find working with
different cultures so stimulating and yes, learning
669
00:47:45.239 --> 00:47:49.400
from them. We're really almost out
of time here, mister Bob Hopkins's final
670
00:47:49.440 --> 00:47:52.760
words, last pearls of wisdom for
us. God grant you the serenity to
671
00:47:52.840 --> 00:47:58.159
accept the things you cannot change,
change the things that you can, and
672
00:47:58.199 --> 00:48:00.880
then you'll be at peace. Beautiful
last minute for you. I was lucky
673
00:48:01.000 --> 00:48:04.760
to have met mister Hopkins when I
was in ninth grade. But if you
674
00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:07.840
didn't get that opportunity, just remember, you know, I'll do your rachel
675
00:48:07.880 --> 00:48:09.760
to be a philanthropist. You just
have to care. Beautiful. What a
676
00:48:09.800 --> 00:48:15.599
way to finish, gentlemen. I
am so much bigger and better having been
677
00:48:15.639 --> 00:48:17.039
in your presence and then part of
your lives. I thank you so very
678
00:48:17.079 --> 00:48:20.840
much for being on the show,
contributing your heart, your passion. Thank
679
00:48:20.880 --> 00:48:22.400
you so much, thanks for having
us. If you want to learn more
680
00:48:22.400 --> 00:48:27.480
about Bob Orhmitt, you can probably
just start by going to Philanthropy Kids dot
681
00:48:27.599 --> 00:48:30.159
org. You can find them both
that way and again, that's how you
682
00:48:30.199 --> 00:48:32.039
can reach out and give Bob more
work to do, and reach out and
683
00:48:32.039 --> 00:48:36.840
give stories to Admit and the other
organization. So stay with us, look
684
00:48:36.840 --> 00:48:38.960
for you. Next week we're going
to have another conversation that nourishes our mind
685
00:48:39.000 --> 00:48:43.000
and heart. And remember that work
is at least one third of our life,
686
00:48:43.039 --> 00:48:46.920
So let's work on purpose. We
hope you've enjoyed this week's program.
687
00:48:47.280 --> 00:48:52.320
Be sure to tune in to Working
on Purpose, featuring your host at least
688
00:48:52.400 --> 00:48:57.840
Cortes, each week on the Voice
America Empowerment Channel. This week, find
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00:48:57.880 --> 00:48:59.920
your life's purpose at work





















































