Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64WWW.AGRM.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2017 53 I won a ticket to “Dine with a Dragon,” where I heard Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den say that business and charity don’t mix. While O’Leary’s self- proclaimed “stone-cold capitalism” has earned him a seat at the billionaires club, another philosophy prevails in today’s economic climate—corporate social responsibility. This is seen in company volunteering projects, such as Red Day for Keller Williams Realty, a day for volunteer community service, or in the $1,000 community grants from Walmart. While there is some debate on what small businesses and corporations should focus on, we as charities can accommodate the different philosophies quite easily. “Sure, we’ll take your money!” “Yes, you can come and serve a meal!” But should it end there? Do we want to engage in the discussion? And if so, how does that better our community? As a charity leader, my first obligation is to Souls Harbour; but could it be that Souls Harbour is only the starting point? We exist because of our neighbors in need, so we become a place that allows others to invest their treasure and talent to that end. By opening those doors, we have suddenly multiplied our impact. A small business wants to be charitable to feel like they’re making a larger impact on the world. They may choose us as one of their community partners. Their impact with our mission has a double effect because it not only helps us meet our ministry goals, but it makes our impact larger as well. Just like these busi- nesses are trying to expand their influ- ence by caring for their neighbors, we need to look beyond our own borders, out- side our own city, and to other corners of the world. Our local crisis pregnancy center tithes to a similar center in the Dominican Republic. Their staff has raised support to spend 10 days there, teaching women English, hygiene, and more. We, as an association, have successfully planted missions in Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica. This is our own association, peer- ing over our walls to see how our impact can be multiplied. As the president of the newly formed Northern Lights district, I wonder how we will be able to influence community leaders and provide for poor and homeless individuals in places we never dreamed possible. Once you take your thinking to this level, expect your mind to be blown as the Holy Spirit makes His path of creativity clear. Ĩ ACROSS THE STREET Michelle Porter Charitable Philosophies Can we look beyond ourselves to maximize our impact? Michelle is founder of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she currently resides. She serves as the president of AGRM’s Northern Lights District. Contact her at mporter.rescue@gmail.com.