Recently I shared with students about a young man, Hugh Evans, whom I had the privilege to meet and spend some time with back in 2005.
Hugh was twenty at the time, he had just been selected as Young Australian of the Year for his work in helping to establish an aid & development organization called The Oaktree Foundation. As a young fourteen-year-old, he spent time as a World Vision Youth Ambassador. As part of his role Hugh had the privilege of visiting World Vision work sites in various countries. At one-point Hugh was living with a family on a rubbish dump in the Philippines. He got to experience first-hand the stench of rotting food and the very primitive living conditions his new friends faced each day – while trying to sleep, he regularly had rats scurrying past his feet, along with huge cockroaches and bugs climbing over him on their way, as if Hugh were an intruder on their patch. As Hugh lay in bed, he remembers thinking through what he had just experienced. He had a choice! He could go home and ignore what he had just experienced and just forget about it, or he could choose to do something to help the young people in terrible situations. He chose the latter. As a committed Christian Hugh prayed a simple prayer, “God help me to serve the poor for the rest of my life!”
What an amazing prayer! What is more amazing is that God has honored Hugh’s prayer and sustained him and supported him in fulfilling his vision to serve the poor to this very day. Hugh has an enormous heart for people and particularly young people in impoverished conditions. The Oaktree Foundation is still going strong over 15 years on and it is still focused on raising money for young people caught in poverty.
Today at 36, Hugh is no longer involved with Oaktree, however, he is still serving the poor through an organization called, ‘Global Citizen’. This organization has raised billions of dollars, which has been put towards seeing young people educated, housed and clothed, providing young people with a sense of hope and dignity. He regularly meets with world leaders and has the support of numerous famous celebrities and bands that want to make an impact upon poverty. That simple decision made as a young boy to ‘serve’ has made all the difference in millions of lives.
What can we do as a community? What can YOU do as an individual? Good questions to ponder as we focus on Service!
Over the next season of the College we will ramp up opportunities for students to get involved in practical ways to serve. The newly announced Prefect body will lead the way. Thank you to all our teachers and volunteers who actively supported us over the South West Festival and throughout the various activities across the College community.
