Computer Literacy Program at Virlanie (Part 2)

October 15 – the big day for our group.  I honestly got some jitters on the day since I was the one who organized the program, and I feel accountable if it will not turn out the way I wanted it to be.  Then we finally met Mr. Cenen “Mac” Milan, Jr., the Program Development Director.  He gave us an orientation of what Virlanie is and what he does.  Coming from a zero background about Virlanie and Mr. Cenen, our group was in awe as we listen to his stories and testimonials. 

If Virlanie was in a hospitality industry, it can be classified as a five-star hotel.  They had very high standards and high achievements, and yet they stay grounded, and as much as possible, they want to be away from the limelight.  Virlanie was established by Dominique Lemay in 1992, and as of 2014, it had cared for 819 children, 878 individual sponsors, 111 employees, 39 local volunteers and 76 foreign volunteers.  Inspired by the success in the Philippines, Virlanie was also established in other countries such as Belgium, France, USA, Denmark, Canada, Spain and Switzerland. 

One of Virlanie’s core programs was the Residential Programs, which provides various services and programs to empower a child’s life (usually street children, abandoned, or abused) and let him/her live life to the fullest.  Virlanie also have other programs like Family Reunification which helps children reunite with their families; Independent Living Program (ILP) which aims to empower and support young adults to become more sustaining; Balik Probinsya Program, which offers financial support to families so they can earn a living and go back to their province, and also provides a start-up livelihood like sari-sari store, tricycle, etc.; Mobile Unit, which provides non-formal education, educational assistance, medical services, psychosocial and social assistance in Divisoria and other streets in Manila; and other support services and sustainability projects. 

For the Residential Programs, Virlanie has about 7 houses, and I think 6 of them are located in Makati, while the other one is located in Cavite.  Each house, headed by “house parents” and assisted by house aunts/social workers and helpers, caters to a specific cluster based on the child’s age group.  Our group composed of 11 members, were further divided into 4 houses.  Our subgroup was assigned to Babies and Toddlers Home (0-4 years old), and other subgroups were assigned to Marco Polo Care Center (4-6 years old), Ella Yallah Home (male teenagers aged 13-18), and Elizabeth Home for girls who went through difficult situations such as physical and/or sexual abuse. 

Realizing how big and prestigious this foundation is, we were really thankful that our request to conduct our service learning activity was granted.  Mr. Cenen explained that he immediately granted our request, because it is very seldom that they receive proposals to serve and reach out to the house parents.  It is usually the kids who are targeted by the organizations, and not the house parents and social workers.  He also explained that his primary objective was to give a chance for the house parents to interact with other people…new people to talk to other than the kids.  He again emphasized not to dwell too much on the topic, but rather, just interact and talk to the house parents.

I realized at that point that no matter how big an organization is, there is always something that needs to be filled up, and needs to be given more attention.  I am thankful that this CSR activity focused on rendering service rather than just giving donations to the foundations.  Our contribution may not be as big as what Virlanie’s sponsors have given, but it was still valuable to a segment of their organization.   

Other than the success stories of Virlanie, Mr. Cenen shared with us some of his experiences in the Lasallian community.  He started studying in La Salle since gradeschool upto college, worked as a La Salle faculty, and almost joined the La Salle brothers.   Although it was not pushed through, he continued to live by La Salle’s teachings of serving the poor.  He worked at Virlanie to continue his mission and advocacy.  One of his most remarkable stories was when he shared his 17-day 1,500 km run from Davao to Manila, to launch a book-distribution campaign and tree-planting program in Davao.  Because of his advocacy and successfully finishing the 17-day journey, he was able to receive 90,000 books as a donation from a non-profit organization.   

This year, I have started and ran 2 ultramarathons with my husband.  First was Luneta to Tagaytay for 64 km, and our second ultra was Laguna to Tagaytay for 50 km.  My husband and I both struggled finishing this 12-hour and 8-hour journey.  But our experience was dwarfed by Mr. Cenen’s journey.  Our longest distance was only 5% of what he has ran.  Other than that, I came to realize….what am I really running for??? His run generated 90,000 books, but how about us?  Who benefits really when I run?  His story is actually a turning point in my running goals.  I realized that I run just for myself, to set me apart from others, to brag about what I have achieved.  I realized how selfish my goals are.  In my 64 and 50km, I was not able to raise even a single book.  At this point, it’s really a challenge revisiting my life and fitness goals.  I am planning to run an ultramarathon again in January or February, but how can those events benefit other people? Some events may have beneficiaries, but am I really running for them or just for myself? I am also planning to try running in barefoot…but for what cause?   

(to be continued - post program reflection)

Law, Ethics, Business and Practice

How I see it now:

How I see it should be:

The first diagram above represents how I see the reality, and the second diagram represents my personal “ideal” framework on the interconnection of Law, Ethics, Business and the actual practice.  Ethics is defined as “the principles, norms, and standards governing the organization” while Law is defined as the “society’s minimum norms and standards of business conduct”.   

For economic dimension, solid boundaries pertain to management’s and investors’, target income or profit and return on investment.  Thicker boundaries for legal dimension represent black and white rules and regulations, laws and policies set by the government.  Dotted boundaries for ethical dimension represent flexibility, openness and uncertainty. 

Reality

     In my perspective, business environment in general are bound by economic considerations and most often, bound by their desire for profits.  Business central focus is on the profit generation and return of investment.  Legal matters are embedded, but sometimes go beyond the economic bounds.  One perfect example for this is the current yet outdated tax bracket for individual tax payers.  Businesses comply with this tax code, but it no longer makes an economic sense.  Ethical dimension is overlapped with both economic and legal, but usually given less consideration.  Some legal considerations may not necessarily be ethical, and vice versa.  Since most of the time, there are no black and white rules on ethical standards, and that some factors do not overall or align with the legal matters, confusion and conflicting decisions are being made. 

Ideal

For me, legal, economic and discretionary considerations should all be within the bounds of Ethical considerations, and the latter should be given the utmost importance.  I agree that the “law should not be the only guiding principle for deciding what’s right”, rather, “Ethics” should prevail among the other factors.  Laws and regulations should be written and implemented, on the basis of common good.  Although the current president of the country is being criticized for his undue remarks, I am grateful that certain tax laws (like rationalizing the income tax brackets and rates, as well as increasing the rate and coverage of sin taxes) will be reviewed by the current administration.  These laws, if approved, will definitely benefit a larger part of the society. 

Economic on the other hand, should also be within the ethical bounds.   One example is the law on minimum wages.  Most businesses often restrict themselves on these minimum rates on their drive to minimize costs and increase profit.  However, businesses would always have the flexibility to go above the minimum rate set by the tax code/labor law.  Wages of the ranks and file are always considered for cost minimization, but sometimes, the company would feel a greater impact if the management’s compensation or benefits, or at least their number will be reduced.  Companies should have a regular review of the management’s functions, and if their compensation really commensurate the level or criticality of their work.   In some organizations, the cost of 1 manager personnel may be equivalent to the cost of 20-50 minimum wage earners.  If on the ideal world, economic and legal dimensions are “always” within the ethical boundaries, then every action taken by the company would have a positive ripple effect to the stakeholders and to the wider range of society.  

Computer Literacy Program at Virlanie (Part 1)

In organizing our group’s service learning activity, our primary concern was the location of our chosen institution.  We preferred that the location is within the Makati area, or at a nearby city so we can have a shorter travel thus we can maximize our time.  Since two of our groupmates are getting at the end of the month, followed by a long weekend (All Saints / All Souls Day), and followed by the Christmas season which might conflict with other charity events, our group decided to conduct our service learning activity on October 15, our CSR free day.  Upon searching for potential institutions, I came across Virlanie Foundation, Inc., one of the foundations located in Makati City.  I didn’t know much about Virlanie, neither my group. 

On October 3, I contacted their office and inquired if our group can render service learning activity to their community, which may be in the form of art and music class for the kids, or financial/computer literacy workshop to affiliated communities, or they can suggest what type of activity they would be needing.  Two days later, their Program Development Director replied to my email, stating that they are interested on the Computer Literacy Program for their house parents, and we can conduct in on October 15, our preferred date.  House parents are the main caretakers of the children, other than the helpers and other social workers. 

In the early part of our CSR class, we have watched the life of St. La Salle.  My reflection at that time was – how can I live by St. La Salle’s teachings in this modern world?  Yes, it can be applied as a Lasallian Business Leader.  But honestly, I can see myself more as a teacher rather than a business leader.  I believe that teaching would make my life a lot more meaningful. In teaching, I won’t be contributing to the profit of a company, rather, a profit on the student’s character and knowledge.   I initially wanted to teach accounting undergrads in DLSU after my MBA, but at some point, I realized that it won’t fulfill La Salle’s mission of educating the poor children.  I have actually thought of teaching street children instead, since earning extra income through teaching is not my primary consideration. 

Even if our participants are not ‘street children’ per se, this Computer Literacy Program really excites me.  I have handled Excel training sessions in my current and previous firms, and it just makes me satisfied knowing that I have imparted my knowledge and contributed to other people’s skills, and even more, to their increased efficiency.  I’m excited to impart these to non-corporate participants. 

I have some apprehensions though.  Is this new knowledge really helpful to our participants? Our group initially planned to include “creating a resume” as part of or hands-on exercises on Microsoft Word, and also planned to give them inspirational talks as to other possible job opportunities for them (like online jobs).  We then realized, this is probably not a good idea.  By orienting them on how to explore other job opportunities, they might leave their current jobs as social workers or house parents and our group might be blamed later on.  If not for better opportunities, what would be the benefits of our session to the house parents?  Will they be able to apply it in their work?  Well probably, it can be somehow used to push and inspire the children they take care of.  Or probably, they can use it later on for compiling data about the kids, or can use powerpoint for presentation to their community or to Virlanie’s management. 

Whatever the benefit may be, I am hoping that the event will turn out well.  According to the program development director, this program is just a kick-off or an introduction.  Virlanie will later on have more formal training programs to be conducted by French volunteers, probably starting in two weeks after our activity.  Given the limited time, we do not expect our participants to absorb everything in one blow.  Our objective now is to make sure they will get interested on the topic, and that they may somehow gain more confidence and familiarity before they start with their formal computer literacy program. We are advised anyway by the program director not to dwell too much on the technical side.  An overview would suffice.  

What happens next?  See Computer Literacy Program at Virlanie (Part 2)

Laws of Money

       I have first heard of Suze Orman when I attended a financial workshop in 2014,  but it was only now that I really had a chance to hear and read about Suze Orman’s lessons.  In her video, Suze cited 5 basic laws of money, which made me reflect on what I have done, currently doing and what will do next.  These lessons gave me more drive to pursue my chosen topic for my Management Action Research, which is to conduct Financial Literacy Program to our employees.  These are some lessons worth sharing with my friends, family members and colleagues:

Lesson 1:  Truth Creates Money, Lies Destroy It.

Suze has cited some examples which reflect the reality, and I was really guilty of.  First example is when your best friend asked you if it’s ok to borrow some cash to finance a certain loan or investment.  Deep inside, you know that she won’t be able to pay as promised, but you ended up lending her money because of your friendship.  For Suze, this is a form of a lie.  But in reality, particularly for Filipino culture, this is already a way of life.  Filipinos in general really value relationships, particularly the family.  If someone is in need, particularly if a close friend and a relative, most of us go out of our way just to extend help.  Oftentimes, Filipinos find it very hard to say “no”, even if in reality, we do not have means to extend financial help.   

        Another example she cited is when we purchase items using credit card, to feel good or feel that we can also afford what the people around us can afford.  Anyway, we will pay when the bill is due.  This is indeed very true and I am guilty of this since I’m a credit card user.  I admit that there were times wherein the truth is - I really can’t afford to buy a certain item.  But because we want to blend with the society, or because we don’t want to get insulted by the people around us, we are trying to project another image.  Thank God my husband helped me change this habit, and helped me control my purchases which I really cannot afford.  

Lesson 2: Look what you have, not at what you had.

Our decisions are usually based on past, and we are afraid to look forward.  I remember when I was still starting exploring the stock market.  I invested in Double Dragon at a very low price, but sold after a few months when I didn’t see an improvement.  A few months later, when I pulled out some more investments to finance other needs, Double Dragon’s value increased significantly.  I really regretted selling at an early stage, and now, I am hesitating to invest in the stock market again.  This is a perfect example of making my decision based on the past.  Instead of doing nothing about it and not making my money grow, I should look at what I have today, keep looking forward---invest----and wait more patiently.  

Lesson 3: Do what is right for you before you do what is right for your money.

According to Suze Orman, “The quality of your life can be affected just as much by how you feel about your decisions as it can by the decisions themselves” and that “Money flows through all of your life aspects, and you will not know what is best for your money until you know what is best for you.”  In the third lesson of her book, I have answered an assessment on “finding your unique balance.” Based on the results, I have a “high need for safety, comfort, and known quantities” in my life, I should consider them if making my decisions.  It also appeared that I have a “high interest in adventure, risk and challenge”.   Putting this into action, knowing that I have a high need of safety and that I have a high interest in adventure, risk and challenge, I should already start doing something in my investments. On the safety side, I should continue setting aside for my savings through a capital contribution.  This might not earn a high profit, but I am confident that it will just be there, safe and sound.  On the riskier side, I should start investing in the stock market or mutual fund again.  This will somehow create a balance in making my investment decisions.  

Lesson 4:  Invest in the known before the unknown.

Before making ‘unknown’ investments like investing in stocks, it is but appropriate to look at the ‘known’ items first like actual historical income and expenses.  What are the expenses that can be cut or avoided?  What are the other ways to increase the income?  For cutting the expenses, I am proud that I have already removed the habit of not paying 100% of the credit card due amount, and I have maintained such habit for more than 5 years already.  Despite receiving offers from various credit card companies, I opted to reject those and just stick with my current card, which is an extension of my husband’s.  In this way, knowing that someone monitors my expenses, I become more disciplined in handling my finances.  

Lesson 5: Always remember: money has no power of its own. 

I have what it takes to make my life more powerful, to make my money grow, to create what I deserve, and to keep what I have.  Money is just a tool and it doesn’t have the power to control me.  I firmly believe on this mantra, but I guess most people are not.  For most people, it’s actually not the money that controls them.  It’s their own greed for power and money that controls them, thus resulting to wrong decisions and actions.  

Jump and Run

MILLENIALS, per Wikipedia, are known to have too great expectations from the workplace, “look for the versatility and flexibility in the workplace, and strive for a strong work-life balance”.    I indeed belong to this generation.  In 12 years after I graduated from college, I jumped from 1 employer to another, and now on my fifth employer.  

My work life started as an auditor, where I gained experience and increased my market value.  Those were also the years of sleepless nights and weekends were weekdays.  I never regretted working in this firm, as I carried on its prestigious name in my CV.   After three years, I jumped to another audit firm outside the country.  Workload was the same, except that I was earning much higher but away from my family.  I cannot count the nights when I have to go home just to get some clothes, sleep in the office alone, take a bath in a nearby gym, and go back to office.  I may have struggled to have a work-life balance, but I was very thankful that God allowed me to work in these two firms during my first 5 working years.  Aside from being able to support my family and save something for my wedding, I have also learned to be more independent, stronger and resilient.  

I went back to Philippines to get married.  I started having my own family and worked in my comfort-zone company, but it did not last for long.  I may have achieved a work-life balance, but my earnings were not sufficient to support my growing family.  It was really hard for me to leave the job that I loved.  I jumped again to another company, with a higher income, but again struggled with a work-life balance.  I usually go home at 10 – 11pm, and there were times when my son did not want to sleep beside me, and chose to sleep with his Tita instead.   Those were my turning points, and my husband requested me to look for another job where I could spend more time with him and my son.  

Thankfully, God led me to my current job, where everything fell into the right place.  In my current job, I have managed how to balance my life.  In my first year with my current employer, I gave birth to our second child.  In my second year, I got hooked into fitness and running with my husband, and have also enrolled in a dressmaking course.  In my third year, I started with my MBA, got into ultra-marathons and got promoted.  Despite these various activities and busy lifestyle, I have still managed to regularly spend a quality time with my family.  

Looking back, now that I have achieved the kind of work and the kind of life that I wanted, I came into the following realizations:

• The main reason why I jumped from one organization to another, is really not about the money or the time that I wanted.  The main reason is that I was always trying to compare myself with others, who had a higher paying jobs, higher benefits, and a lot of time to spend on extra curricular activities.  It was actually the "envy" comparing my employer with their employer.  I have set very high standards, on what's the ideal job and company for me.  
• Balancing work, life, family, and relationship with God, really depends on a person's values, choice, strategy and outlook.  Probably in my early 'working' years, leisure or work-life-balance was not really my priority.  Perhaps my priority back then was really to be recognized for my work, and a sense of completion or achieving something.    
• Being in the right organization has a factor of prayer, luck and listening to someone else's advice.  Before I got employed byit  my current employer, I thought of accepting the offer of another organization, a start-up company.  Between the two, I preferred the start-up company but my husband let me realize that I may again struggle in juggling my role as an employee and as a family woman.  He let me to a more stable company, and I'm glad I listened to him.  Just recently, I heard that the start-up company is now closing and has laid off a number of employees.  
• Tone at the top and company's culture really matter in ensuring that employees achieves a work-life balance.  My previous superiors in prior organizations used to stay late in the office, and this was actually normal with the rest of the organization.   With my current employer however, at least 95% of the directors, managers, supervisors and staff, go home sharply at dismissal time.  This proves that an average person does not need to exert excessive effort to achieve the "ideal"balance between life and work. 

I may have jumped several times looking for a flat and safe ground...and when I got there, I started running to God's chosen path for me.   

The Vocation and the Ripple

When I was a child, I used to dream of becoming a doctor, realizing later on that this is not my dream at all.  As much as I want to save lives, I can’t stand the exposure to blood, or be accountable for not saving someone else’s life.     I chose to take another path…a business course.    I thought all the while that the job in the corporate world is not as critical as with the doctor’s job.  I thought all the while that being in the corporate world, I will not be directly involved in saving someone else’s lives.  My theory was wrong.  Every action of either the employer or employee, or both, may save the lives of the immediate stakeholders, and can be further rippled to the wider society.  For example, by merely employing someone, providing a fair compensation and benefits, and a safe work environment, an employer is not just saving his employee’s life, but his family or beneficiary as well.  The daily needs of the family members can be purchased from business and commercial organizations, which in turn also provides jobs to other people.  Taxes paid on income and purchases are then contributed to the government, which in turn builds infrastructure and ensures public safety for the common good of the society. 

It is therefore important for the companies, especially the business leaders, to properly reflect on the ripple effect of every action, before making a decision and implementing a change.  The book Vocation of the Business Leader: A Reflection, has pointed out 6 guiding principles for businesses to integrate LIFE, VIRTUES and business practices for the benefit of the society.   Almost all of these guiding principles were practiced by one company that I have worked for, which was led by a true Christian Business Leader, which I would like to call as Mr. J.  Mr. J is the president of Company ABC, a group of companies with distribution and retail businesses.  The Filipino translation of Company ABC’s real name is “human being”, and the Chinese translations are ‘way’, ‘path’, ‘doctrine’, and ‘principle’.  Below are some examples of how Mr. J has actually lived by these 6 guiding principles.

Meeting the Needs of the World through the Creation and Development of Goods and Services

1.      Businesses that produce goods which are truly good and services which truly serve contribute to the common good.

      One of the subsidiaries of Company ABC used to handle distribution of cigarettes.  This subsidiary is one of the biggest and top profit earners among his subsidiaries.  Despite this, he later on decided to drop this business.  Not because it is declining or starting to lose its market share, but because he believed that the product harms the people’s lives. 

2.      Businesses maintain solidarity with the poor by being alert for opportunities to serve otherwise deprived and underserved populations and people in need.

      Another subsidiary is handling retail of health supplements, targeting the middle and high-end market.  Realizing that he also needs to touch the lower market, he acquired another health supplement retail company to cater to this market. 

Organizing Good and Productive Work

3.     Businesses make a contribution to the community by fostering the special dignity of human work.

Mr. J’s primary mission in acquiring a company is to give jobs to the community.  Some people may be challenging him or recommending to him not to acquire Company B, an existing and almost bankrupt business, which has about 100+ employees.  Consultants and counsels believe that the return of investment will take a long time.  Despite these advices, Mr. J continued acquiring the business, not because of the desired profit, but to give jobs to the existing employees. 

4.    Businesses provide, through subsidiarity, opportunities for employees to exercise appropriate authority as they contribute to the mission of the organization.

In Mr. J’s head office, he has hired disabled female personnel with a very pleasing personality to be the receptionist.  In my 12 years of working experience in 5 companies, this receptionist showed the sincerest “good morning”.  This is actually one of Mr. J’s ways to remind everyone in his business community that all of us were created equal. 

Creating Sustainable Wealth and Distributing It Justly

5.      Businesses model stewardship of the resources, whether capital, human or environmental, that they have received.

6.      Businesses are just in the allocation of resources to all stakeholders: employees, customers, investors, suppliers, and the community.

      All employees under his community have fair compensation and benefits.  His businesses, big or small, are all housed in a safe working environment.  Mr. J has also established a foundation, which aims to “improve the state of public education in the country” as well as to support public sports programs and promote Filipino music.  This company has also partnered with DepEd to promote a technology-enhanced alternative delivery mode of learning.  Since 2010, its foundation was able to deploy this mode of education to 4 public schools in Luzon and Visayas. 

With Mr. J’s way of running his business and a mantra of “giving back to the community”, I realized that business leaders are also “doctors” of the society.  It may not be on a medical perspective, but business leaders can also save the lives of the employees, his family, and the community.  The profits and benefits of a business organization ripple to the stakeholders and to a wider society. 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

References:

Company’s Ripple Effect
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp0304/04RP04

Vocation of the Business Leader
http://www.pcgp.it/dati/2012-05/04-999999/Vocation%20ENG2.pdf

Reflection on the Life of St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle

“Real wealth is the ability to think and feel and not being possessed by possession”.  These are the lines that really struck me in the middle and end of the film, “Who Are My Own”, featuring the life of St. La Salle.  I had been a La Salle alumni but it is only now that I have really reflected the life of St. La Salle. St. John Baptist de La Salle was born in a wealthy family.  He might have lived a very comfortable life, with power and popularity. But he chose instead, serving the poor children by giving them a free education.  St. La Salle’s vision is to build a number of Christian schools and teach young and poor children. Although St. La Salle is known for being the patron saint of educators, some of his traits may also apply and hopefully be emulated by our modern-day corporate leaders and entrepreneurs.   

St. La Salle as a Risk Taker

One of the most common traits of successful entrepreneurs is the ability and willingness to take risks.    This is true even for new and small entrepreneurs – leaving the day-job or giving up the stable pay-checks to venture into its own business; spending personal time and capital to run a business with various uncertainties, etc.  St. La Salle has taken risks in several clips of the movie.  One of the biggest risks he has undertaken was when he decided to resign his canonry, gave up his fortune and inheritance from his wealthy parents, devoted his life instead educating the poor children and living with his fellow teachers and “Brothers”.   Relative to this, the brotherhood formed by St. La Salle, a new religious institute, was opposed by some ecclesiastical authorities.  Despite these resistances, not to mention their diminishing financial resources, St. La Salle and his fellow brothers risked and continued with their mission.  Fast forward, De La Salle community has now spread to various countries, and a number of schools and universities were already established; truly a high reward for a high risk taken centuries ago.   

St. La Salle as an Innovator

In today’s business and corporate world, innovation is one of the keys to success and to keep abreast with the market competition.  Although not an entrepreneur nor a corporate man, St. La Salle has also demonstrated his innovativeness.

Forming a new religious institute, now known as the “De La Salle Brothers”, or “Christian Brothers”, is an example how St. La Salle has demonstrated being an innovator.  This brotherhood was the first Roman Catholic teaching religious group that did not include any priests.  Instead, this group is mainly composed of lay teachers whose primary purpose is to give a good Christian education to the poor children. 

St. La Salle’s innovativeness has also transformed the educational system on some informal schools.  A clip from the film presented how one school educated the children one-on-one, while the rest of the students are either playing rough games, gambling, or doing manual labor.  The old system was a chaotic, and St. La Salle has transformed the system by providing more formal lessons, teaching good values and refining the manners of the students.  With St. La Salle’s innovativeness, he was considered as the founder of the first Catholic schools, and thereby naming him the patron saint of teachers.

St. La Salle as a Mentor

Another key to success, particularly in a corporate world, is to have someone to inspire and guide you in your journey, in your career --- a mentor. 

Andre, one of the film’s characters who used to be a theft and a trouble-maker, turned out to be one of St. La Salle’s mentee.  His life has completely changed, when he decided to join St. La Salle’s journey.   Andre, along with the other lay teachers and brothers, were inspired by St. La Salle’s vision and teachings.   St. La Salle went out of his way to pursue his plan of training the lay teachers.  During the times of their financial difficulties in sustaining their educational institutions, as well as criticisms from the society, relatives and even some religious institutions, some lay teachers have doubted and some have given up on their mission.  Despite those trials, St. La Salle has remained grounded and has kept his faith in both God and their mission.  This strong faith was shared to his fellow teachers and brothers, to keep walking in achieving their ultimate goal – to provide Christian education to common and poor children. 

St. La Salle as a Servant-Leader

A Servant-Leader, according to Robert K. Greenleaf, is “SERVANT-FIRST…It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.” (Wikipedia)

With St. La Salle’s inherited wealth, he may have lived a rich and powerful life.  He may have pursued business, or may have had a high position in the religious order.  However, this path was completely out of St. La Salle’s primary mission --- to serve and educate the poor children.  Aside from the poor children, St. La Salle has also served his fellow teachers and brothers, by giving them more formal trainings and resources…and all these were shared out of love and passion and not for profit.  He is indeed an epitome of a true Servant-Leader.  Service to others, especially for the unfortunate children who were deprived of a good education, is certainly what St. La Salle considers as “Real Wealth”.   He believed that if he can open the children’s minds, if he and the teachers can reach beyond the boundaries, if they can open the children’s minds to this light, our world especially these children will have a brighter hope, closer to peace.