Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Apr/May 2020 Aspire Magazine SAMPLE Issue | Page 20

I started fundraising then, and it just grew naturally from there. Over the last 15 years, I have raised money for a variety of people in very different circumstances and levels of need. Supporting and helping others has always been a part of my heart – always. As a young girl living in the Philippines, I saw and witnessed extreme poverty with many people lacking the very basics of life: clean water, plumbing, etc. Compassion and service were ingrained in me at such a young age that my heart always goes to “How can I serve”? to feed your child. I relate to people that are in times of challenge like we are today, because I’ve been there. I didn’t have a lot of support at that time and more importantly, I didn’t have the ability to love myself enough to ask for it. I have made it part of my life’s mission to be a giver and to support those that are willing to accept the help. Today, I see that our immediate circumstances have become stronger than our egos, and many are willing to ask for and receive help. How is this project an evolution of the work that you’ve done previously? In 2003 my cousin’s son was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (born without the left side of his heart). He faced three open heart surgeries in the first two years of his young life. In 2005, I started the Sunlight Alliance Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization to raise money to help support them in moving to Arizona, to a lower elevation, where he had a greater chance of survival. 20 www.AspireMAG.net | April / May 2020 In what ways can individuals support each other or be supported through the efforts of Hearts Helping Humanity? The great thing is there’s so many ways to be able to be of service through Hearts Helping Humanity. There are plenty of opportunities to serve people that are in need. We’ve got these four different pillars of the Hearts Helping Humanity community, which has just been phenomenal to watch how people are coming together and getting their needs served regardless of who they are or the circumstances that brought them here. The Four Pillars of Hearts Helping Humanity are: THE RECEIVERS. Receivers are those in need of, and requesting, basic supplies, food and household goods.