One of my earliest memories as a child was of a homeless man sitting outside a McDonald's in Downtown Phoenix. He was an older man, the cast on his leg stained with dirt, his eyes filled with sadness. Everyone leaving or entering simply walked past him, without looking (I'm sure to avoid the pain his sorrewness seemed to cause). My mother and I walked hand-in-hand, bellies full past this man's bench. Just before we crossed the street, she stopped and reached for something out of her purse. "Give this to the nice man," She told me. I ran back, carrying the 5 dollars in my chubby fingers. Without a word, I plopped it into his wrinkly hand. "Thank you," He said, his smile enveloping his face.
My mother taught me what it meant to give to others, and to share what I had with others who weren't as lucky as I. My mothers act of kindness, in that one instance, changed my life forever. Since then, it never occured to me not to give back to the community. It's our world, and we, as humans, function as one to make the world go 'round. I have numerous capabilities [people skills, leadership skills, etc.] to allow myself to be successful in giving back to the people around me.

John Wooden once said, "You can never live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

He was right.