South African President Zuma has decided to honor Nelson Mandela this year by asking all South Africans to volunteer 67 minutes of their time on this year’s Nelson Mandela Day, July 18, 2013. This is not only a beautiful way to honor a revolutionary man, but is also a great way to inspire others to increase volunteer work in their communities.
Nelson Mandela led the most radical and revolutionary political change South Africa has ever experienced. He was imprisoned for 27 years for standing up for human rights. After his release in 1990, he was finally elected as the first black South African President in 1994 and was instrumental in ending apartheid. During his brief five-year service as President — shorter than that of many American Presidents — he was able to create a more dramatic change in his country’s political structure than most American Presidents even dream of creating.
Sadly, at 94 years old, Nelson Mandela’s health is declining, but his legacy continues to inspire politicians and citizens around the world.
America, let’s join South Africa and honor this very special man. If every American volunteers 67 minutes of their time, we can total 3,505,373,467 hours of volunteer service, and could truly make a wonderful difference!
If you don’t already volunteer somewhere, let this be the beginning of a new habit. If you can’t think of anywhere to volunteer, check out http://www.volunteermatch.org/.
Perhaps this new habit will inspire you to contribute a small percentage of your estate to a charity.