Desperate Times call for.....

Given the recent tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti, it is truly inspirational to hear the stories of a select handful of companies willing to reach out. Reality is that 2009 was a terrible year for a vast majority of the World. It is rare to find an individual or organization that wasn't adversely affected by the Global Economic Climate in some form or the other. Some of the largest and most prominent organizations in the world were either closing their doors for good or struggling to keep them open and in an instant, when a country who had nothing, lost everything, the power of the human spirit takes over.

Every day we are competing with our fellow man for everything. Competition is the kindle to our fire and without competition, you would be hard pressed to find success. We are bred to be competitors, it consumes us and it is ingrained in our brains that 2nd place is the first loser. But yet in a time when our fellow human race is devastated by an uncontrollable and irreparable disaster, it is the unyielding human spirit that takes over. We will give someone we have never met or will never meet the shirt off of our back and our last piece of bread just to ensure they can make it another day. the relentless dedication to survival and the refusal to fail is what fuels our efforts and at the end of the day, if that stranger who you will never meet can breathe a sigh of relief while looking into the eyes of their loved ones, then you can truly declare success.

This tenacious will for the human spirit has also seeped into the ranks of the largest corporations in the world and their impact has truly changed lives. Target's unbelievable $500,000 donation to the relief efforts and the volunteer event taking place 1/25/10 is an first hand glimpse of truly what makes up a world class organization. Despite the fact that Target has "nothing to gain" from a business perspective in their donation given their lack of placement in Haiti, their human spirit trumps any "business" demands. Their willingness to hand over something they world diligently to achieve to complete strangers who chances are will never be able to even step foot in a Target store, shows an unfaltering dedication to life.

Publically the economic climate has hit noone harder then it hit the banking industry. In the face of an uncertain future, Bank of America donated $1 million to the relief efforts about as quietly as you could. No listing on their website, no tabloid promotion, just handing over a check and praying for a positive outcome as a result. There is no "agenda" involved, only hope.

A company on the forefront of the relief efforts is UPS. With a donation of $500,000 and an additional $500,000 in services including shipment of needed items to Haiti also shows a level of spirit not seen in "typical" society. Many of the services are provided by employees who are willing to put their lives at risk in order to help their fellow man. UPS pilots willing to fly planes for free to deliver goods is the perfect example of how far the human spirit can go. Most of all, UPS is a business that charges for shipment and when they are willing to forego their business model to aid a country who has just lost everything, teaches a wonderful lesson.

A majority of the citizens of Haiti live for under a dollar a day. It would take an entire week of their "livelihood" to afford a coffee, something we take with a grain of salt. One of the poorest countries in the world had something in common with the rest of the world, and that is love. The images shown during the news coverage, while troublesome to view, also showed me something that made me smile. A mother, who probably hasn't slept or ate since the occurance of the disaster who probably has been saturated with pain, shown something we all strive for.... a smile and warm embrace to her child. We are all here with a moral obligation to leave this world better then we have received it. I truly hope this feeling is contagious and the likes of the world continue in this unbelievable act of giving. Our thoughts and prayers are truly with those in Haiti.