My Giving Story: Meg Gilliam
My Giving Story is about the incredible opportunity my students have to pay it forward, but in reality, my giving story really started the day I was born. I have always had a heart for giving; my love language is acts of service. As a little girl, I always wanted to help, whether it be other people or animals, even insects. My mother loves to tell the story of when I was in the third grade. My friends and I found an injured moth. We made a home for it out of paper and other classroom supplies. It died a few days later. I organized a full-blown funeral and wrote a song for it. The part of the story that is never told, and that I didn't appreciate until recently, is the teachers. My teacher allowed me to take class time to organize the event. She coordinated with other teachers to allow class time to hold the funeral. Although it is something that seems petty, she understood the skills she was fostering was organization, collaboration, passion and the ability to be selfless.
My Giving Story is really the story of my passion for giving that has been expressed throughout the course of my life. I led and created community service events in all the schools I went to, even in college when I pledged as a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a coed community service fraternity. That passion for giving didn’t end there, but continued into my adult life. At the end of my first marriage, I found myself and my two little girls sleeping in a cold room at our local battered women’s shelter. I was there for 31 days. I learned a lot about myself during that time and decided to dedicate the next four years of my life to serving and mentoring other women who were victims of domestic abuse through a program called Celebrate Recovery.
My Giving Story continues now with my students. I have shared my life experiences and connected them through books. We have read memoirs and written poems about our life experiences and we have deep conversations about how we can use those situations to propel us to contribute positively to our communities. Books allow students to see themselves in characters and feel like they are not alone. They allow them a moment of peace while they escape their realities and dream of better days. They inspire, encourage, and teach vital life lessons. Books offer so much more than what is simply on the pages. It gets the students to think outside of themselves. It is a beautiful thing.
My Giving Story now, is continuing that journey with my students by allowing them to now pay it forward. To allow that inspiration to trickle throughout their community with every book placed in the hands of a child. To be able to give back, even in a time when life has changed its course, is a powerful thing. I have seen, in just a few short months, kids who were anti-social, come out of their shell to support the Military Children Book Project to create beautiful stickers that will uplift and inspire students. Kids who felt they lacked creativity, found it when they were asked to think outside of the box and create meaningful words of encouragement stickers that were impactful. Kids who never lifted a finger for anyone else but themselves, were lifting books by the hundreds to prepare for our surprise book delivery. You see, my giving is not just books, it's about what the books have led them to do and discover more about themselves, and the ways they can give.
Thanks to the Leaders Readers Network, all of this is possible. I can only hope to continue My Giving Story. So, instead of ending my story with “The End,” I say, “To Be Continued.”
Want to join the Leaders Readers Network this Giving Tuesday to help ensure children have access to high quality and relevant brand new books? Click here to learn more or Donate Today to sponsor a classroom. Your support will reach the most vulnerable students and unlock a lifelong love for learning, reading and creativity.
