“If you do something good for others, something good will come to you.”
This is how Anthony D. explained the concept of karma to his 5 year old son, Lyric, after he asked why his family was asking for donations for ReSurge International in honor of his birthday. For the past four years, the D family have celebrated Lyric’s and his younger brother Banjo’s birthdays by asking their extensive network of family and friends to donate to ReSurge in lieu of bringing gifts to the boys’ birthday celebration.
“When they were babies, they didn’t recognize that they were not getting actual gifts at their birthday party. But now that Lyric is 5, I had to explain to him why helping others is the greatest gift you can give or receive. And ultimately, that goodness will come back to you.”
It all started a few years ago when Anthony and LuLu, Lyric and Banjo’s mom, decided to have a celebration birthday hike in the nearby mountains for Lyric and Banjo. Their birthdays are within 8 days of each other, so a joint party seemed like a great idea. Not wanting to leave anyone out, and understanding there was no space limits on the number of people they could invite to the hike, Anthony and LuLu invited a large group, including all the kids from the boys’ preschool classes, neighbors and lots of friends.
“We thought this would also be a great way to get to know our neighbors and connect with others in our community,” said Anthony. “With the number of people participating, we thought it would also be a great opportunity to identify a way to collectively give back.”
Anthony and LuLu began researching non-profits with outstanding charity ratings and discovered ReSurge International. They were instantly moved by the mission, impressed by the ratings and loved the global outreach component.
They created a fundraiser page, which they have continued to manage for the past four years. This year, they have added a very special addition to the page. A new little sister for Lyric and Banjo! D was born in August this year and her birthday falls within the same 8 day birthday window as her brothers’. This joint birthday party just got expanded to a triple celebration!
This year’s celebration hike is taking place in September and the D family would like to invite YOU to visit their page and make a donation to ReSurge in honor of the births of their beautiful children. They also encourage others to follow suit.
“This is such a small way to make a big difference,” said Anthony. “There’s no great sacrifice. Anyone can do this.”
And don’t worry about the D children receiving birthday gifts!
“Between their parents, grandparents and close friends, they still get plenty of actual gifts on their birthdays,” said Anthony. “And total confession…the day after the karma talk, I took the boys to Target to pick out a toy for being so kind…to try and show them that sometimes the vibrations you put out into the world can influence the vibrations that come back to you.”
