My Community Service at Cherut Belgium

First Semester

For this academic year, I found and chose to volunteer at Cherut Belgium for my Community Service Learning project because I believe in their mission and have always wanted to help out in the organization for a while now. The founder of this organization has been a network of mine for some years now and has known of my interest in volunteering at the organization. I saw the CSL project as a great opportunity to do so and this is part of the major reasons why I chose it over the mentorship project.

Name of Organization: Cherut Belgium

Address: Klapdorp 41, 2000 Antwerpen

Phone: 0484 07 69 76

Email: cherutbelgium@gmail.com.

Website: https://cherutbelgium.com/

Mission: In summary, this is an organization that help prostitutes and people that have been trafficked to get a better life. Cherut basically takes these women through every process of quitting prostitution or getting rescued, which includes identifying their pimps and the human traffickers to the police for arrest, providing them with shelter, food, clothes, a fresh start, jobs, training programs, etc. According to them on their website: "Cherut is an organization that works for women in prostitution and human trafficking. Our work originated on the street, but we now offer a whole range of services to offer opportunities to women who live in the world want to leave prostitution or a situation of exploitation... Our organization originated from the desire to make contact with women working in prostitution. Women allowed us into their lives and we went out with them. We discovered a world of pain, coercion, loneliness and hopelessness." On their website you can read more details of what exactly they do and why they do it. The organization basically goes to the streets to find these people, sometimes in collaboration with the police when there are pimps and human traffickers to be arrested. Most often these people they find on the streets don't understand Dutch or English as most of them are from African countries (my country Nigeria inclusive) and speak only their native languages and an African language called "Broken/Pigin English". Because I speak this Broken/Pigin English and my native language as well, I can help them in this area if they need me to.

Below is my email conversation with Inge Delrue informing her of the organization I have chosen for my community service and her confirming that the organization is okay. I will send her my plan for the actual community service by February when it's fixed because I am yet to meet with the founder of the organization to draw out a schedule/plan for the community service period.

The founder of this organization, Johanneke van Slooten, with whom I am in contact has just recently confirmed my community service with them via our Facebook messenger conversation but has asked for us to meet in January 2020 to discuss the planning and I am looking forward to having that meeting with her. She also sent me a volunteer form to fill in, sign, and return to her before our first meeting.

I am very much looking forward to this volunteer experience because of the lives I will be helping the organization to help and also because of the learnings I will garner in the process and experience.

Second Semester

My first meeting with Johanneke did not finally happen in January as I was busy with exams then, but rather it took place the next month, 19 February 2020 to be precise. But before then, I had already signed my contract with the organization, and also some government-required documents for volunteers in such organizations which I am not permitted (by the organization) to share. I had also begun doing some volunteer work at home for the organization before my initial meeting with Johanneke. However, print screens of the volunteer form which I had to fill in and sign after I got confirmed by Johanneke to begin volunteering with the organization are below. I began my volunteer work the same day I signed the volunteer form; 6 February 2020.

Log of daily activities and reflections

The photos and video I will be using in the logs below were all permitted to be used by the people in them.

Day 1

Date: 6 February 2020

Duration: 11:00 – 17:30 (6 hrs. 30 minutes)

Where: Home - Puitvoetstraat 133, 9100 Sint-Niklaas

Activity of the day: Creating Cherut Antwerp 10 Miles flyer using Canva

Activity description + evaluation and personal reflection

This activity helped me in my professional development as I practised/enhanced my proficiency in using CANVA to create flyer or poster designs (LO06 – Digital Literacy); this was one of the learning outcomes I had chosen to work on achieving this academic year. On this day, I was asked by a Cherut responsible if I could help with the creation of a flyer for a volunteer at Cherut who was the Cherut candidate for Antwerp 10 Miles 2020. I immediately jumped on the offer/request because I love creating designs and I knew I could do it if I gave it time. So, that day I took quite a number of hours to create the design. It took as long as it did because I kept trying to make the design look better and more to represent the organization more, and I also had some time by my side as school was not back in session as at this day. This way, I was managing my time well, doing what I love while also being useful and of help to Cherut. I had many trials of the flyer because each kept needing amendments until finally, I arrived at the final flyer which they loved when I sent it over to them.

Another reason I was very eager and willing to create this design was because I loved and valued the cause for which it was to be used. The flyer was going to be used for charity/donation purposes. It was going to be used to create a GoFundMe account for people to support one of the organization’s missions which is to stop sex trafficking in Africa, and also to support the volunteer who will be running in the name of Cherut during the Antwerp 10 Miles 2020. This action was organized by a branch of Cherut known as “Heart for Africa”. Below is the flyer I created.

Cherut Antwerp 10 Miles Flyer

Day 2

Date: 19 February 2020

Duration: 11:30 – 14:20 (2 hrs. 50 minutes)

Where: Koffieklap & Drop-in centre - Klapdorp 41, 2000 Antwerpen

Activities of the day

- Meeting with Johanneke at Koffieklap

- Tour around the drop-in

- Meet and greet

- Lunch & clean-up

Description of activities + evaluation and personal reflection

This day at Cherut began with a brief meeting with Johanneke at Koffieklap - a coffee shop owned by Cherut at the same address at the drop-in centre. I thought this meeting was very helpful and necessary as it was going to be my first time meeting fellow volunteers and the ladies who had been rescued from prostitution by Cherut and were currently living at the drop-in centre. The coffee shop is downstairs while the drop-in centre is located on the remaining 3 floors of the building). During the meeting, she mentioned important things I needed to take note of as regards the activities that took place at Cherut. She informed me that the timing could be flexible on the days (Wednesdays) I have chosen to come, but that I had to arrive before 10:30 each following day and that there was also a possibility of staying for two shifts (morning and afternoon/evening shifts which ended at 16:00). Because of work and school demands, I told her I could only do the morning shifts and she was okay with that. She also emphasized the need for me to be proactive and really be helpful in the volunteer team and this was already something I made up my mind to do when I was signing up for to volunteer here. The meeting lasted for about half an hours after which she showed me the way into the drop-in centre and handed me over to Christa, a fellow volunteer, who always comes on Wednesdays and was going to be my partner at the drop-in every Wednesday from then onward.

Christa gave me the tour of the centre and introduced me to everyone, particularly the beneficiaries who warmed up/opened up to me at first contact. It gladdened my heart to know that my presence there did not make them uncomfortable but rather relaxed and excited them. I think the fact that I tried to make small talk with everyone Christa introduced me to helped show them that I was really there to help and listen if need be; Christa later told me that the benefitting ladies were mostly reserved and that she was having troubles finding activities to engage them with. More so, I listened intently when Christa describe what was what within the building and how things were done there. For example, everyone has lunch together at the centre at 12:30/13:00 and the food is prepared by different people each time (anyone who offers to).

So, this day, after we were done with the tour around the centre, it was not long before lunchtime came. Lunch on this day began at 13:00. I helped in setting the launch table as the food was already made and made up my mind to help in making the food next time since I love cooking as well. The day’s meal was a Slovakian lunch dish and although I didn’t quite like it (both look and initial taste), I was considerate of the feelings of the person who made it, because in my (Nigerian) culture it is common to want to please others, so I finished what was on my plate and even ended up taking some more because I ended up liking it. Etela, the lady who made the dish, was glad that I liked it because I complimented her on it.

The people I met at the drop-in centre on this day (some of whom are in the photos above) were Christa (a volunteer), Ivana (a beneficiary), Etela (a beneficiary), Andrea (a responsible for administration), Marie (an intern), Charlotte (an Intern), Fatima (an intern) and Fatimata (a beneficiary). And these are the people who are normally there every Wednesday. On this day, I talked more with especially with two of the beneficiaries (Etela and Ivana) and one of the volunteers, Christa, as the other ones had different duty posts and it looked like it was going to be the way the setting would be the coming weeks. Most of the interns had to do the administrative work with the administration responsible, Andrea, and the other beneficiary, Fatima, had some knitting to do (she and Christa made these plant pot holders in photos below). Seeing her knitted creations made me think of my first-semester business Ethics SDG project, the plants on the 7th floor of Campus Stroopkai which I help in taking care of, and the SDG actions I was also planning on carrying out as an Urban Jungle Ranger with the SDG Corner management of Artevelde during the Climate Factory Festival & Showcase. I saw cultural diversity in major display here as each person had a way of taking a stance on subjects of discussion and action.

While helping to clean up after lunch was over, I asked Etela and Ivana some questions about their country, their culture, what they like about Belgium, and some of the things they liked doing (their hobbies). It was during this talk with them that I realized how much they loved singing and started thinking about how I can engage them in singing (since it’s also one of my passions/talents) to help keep them happy and not depressed on the basis of the things they have been through in the past, and help them know that they are not alone. I did not want to pry too much into their personal lives as I was just meeting them for the first time, so I didn’t ask too many personal questions but the questions I did ask led to willing openness from them. To Christa I asked how she came to volunteer at Cherut and what the experience has been like so far. She told me the story of how she arrived Belgium about a year ago from her state, California, in the USA, and felt the need to give back to the society as she had been doing that when she was a teenager but had stopped and misses it, especially as she sees more and more need for it even here in Belgium. Hence, for Christa, finding out about Cherut from a flyer she received for a Cherut event that year was one of the best things that happened to her. Every Wednesday, she goes to the drop-in centre all the way from Brussels. Her story motivated and inspired me, even more, to give my best during my volunteer period here.

Day 3

Date: 4 March 2020

Duration: 10:00 – 14:00 (4 hrs)

Where: Drop-in centre - Klapdorp 41, 2000 Antwerpen

Activities of the day

- Discuss the upcoming 10th anniversary

- Go shopping

- Cook lunch

- Lunch and clean up

- Engage Ivana and Etela in singing

Description of activities + evaluation and personal reflection

On this day, the first thing I noticed on the notice board when I entered into the drop-in centre was a flyer for the 10th anniversary of Cherut. I immediately wanted to help out because I found it amazing that the organization that was focused on such a good course was already ten years old; to me, it was worth celebrating in every way possible. So, I made up my mind to ask Johanneke how I can help whenever I see her. She did not show up at the centre that day, hence at the end of my morning/afternoon shift on this day, I asked Christa what she knew about the event, and messaged Johanneke about it, later on, letting her know that I was available to help in any way that Cherut needs me to. I discussed with her and got an ushering role assigned to me for the event. When she mentioned still needing babysitters, I offered to help her find one and contacted about 4 possible candidates for this all of whom unfortunately would not be available on the day of the event.

The first thing I did this day after I had exchanged greetings with everyone was to let Christa know that I wanted to make the day’s lunch. She felt so relieved because she had been wondering what to cook and did not quite have the motivation to cook. My joy at that moment was in the fact I could relieve/help her. I brainstormed with her on what to make for lunch and decided on pasta. We hurried off to the supermarket to get the necessary ingredients for my sauce recipe and the pasta. On our way to a nearby Albert Heijn supermarket, Christa told me stories about how she almost always got lost on her trips to and from that supermarket, even with the GPS, when she first started coming to the drop in. We had a good laugh about this as I narrated how I also found it difficult locating some places in Belgium as an International student and my several close to getting lost or being late to meeting scenarios. I thought of it as strangely nice that I and Christa had that in common and the fact that the trains never work in our favour was also a jocular topic of discussion for both of us. We narrated incidents of missing our trains and getting on the wrong trains because the platforms changed in splits of seconds and we did not understand what was happening until we asked passersby. Although Christa was from a low context culture and I from a high context culture, we had one thing in common which was talking too much, so I think this was one of the reasons we got along really well in addition to our love for the help we were offering these beneficiaries at the drop-in.

When we returned back to the drop-in, I made the spaghetti sauce (from scratch) while Christa made the spaghetti. Soon we were done and everyone at the drop-in that day got to eat to their fill; everyone loved it, complimented me on it and kept taking more until the entire bowl was empty. Another funny incident that took place with respect to food was me forgetting my dinner and water in the fridge at the drop-in this day and got on the train to Ghent (for my Digital Masters Academy class that night) after I had attended a seminar at the University of Antwerp (in the afternoon) before I even remembered it. On realizing I had forgotten my food in the fridge, I called Christa to check if she was still there. Luckily, she was, so I asked that she alerts the ladies who live at the centre about it so that they could eat it and not let it go to waste.

While we were washing and cleaning up after lunch, I told Christa that I had thought about what she said about not knowing how to get Etela and Ivana more engaged and that I was going to start singing with them every week when I’m there. She was very happy about this and I could see the delight on Etela and Ivana’s faces when I told them about it. On this day, I taught them an English song already and we first sang it one after the other before we did it together, with Christa, Andrea, Marie, Charlotte, Fatima and Fatimata as our ever attentive and cheering audience. We hosted the entire drop-in and seeing that excitement and enthusiasm for more on Etela and Ivana’s faces made me realize that I was not wasting my time at all by coming to volunteer here. It also made me reflect on the fact that many people in our communities need people who would do little things like these for them to help reassure them that life is still worth living irrespective of whatever might have happened to them in the past or is still happening to them in the present.

Day 4

Date: 11 March 2020

Duration: 10:15 – 14:00 (3hrs 45 minutes)

Where: Drop-in centre - Klapdorp 41, 2000 Antwerpen

Activities of the day

- Helping Fatimata with Dutch class assignment

- Lunch and clean-up

- Singing with Etela and Ivana

- Receiving feedback

Description of activities + evaluation and personal reflection

Starting this day at the drop-in felt very purposeful, especially since I had planned to ask those who would be there for feedback on my volunteering days/hours so far. I felt excited but at the same time a little nervous (as receiving feedback well is still one of the areas I am still working on as a young professional in the business field) and uncertain about what they would say. However, beginning the day with helping Fatimata with her Dutch language class assignment was a good distraction and a relaxing activity at the same time. I was able to help her with the level of Dutch she is currently in its class (1.1) because I had already taken those classes before now.

After the Dutch tutorial session with Fatimata, I helped out with preparing the Slovakian dish that Ivana came up with for lunch; I actually learnt how to prepare it, as I asked questions as the preparation went on. It's a typical Slovakian dish, a traditional "Slovak Haluski". Another activity of the day that had a very good effect on me and more especially on Etela and Ivana was our singing activity. They had to present a song I had given them as an assignment. I just never got tired of being there for them in this way and the positive impact it had on their mood each time. See some merged video clips from our singing session today below.

After the singing session, I went one after another to the few people (Ivana. Etela, Johanneke, and Christa) who were still at the drop-in to ask for feedback and decided to ask the rest when next I see them next time. As Fatimata had to leave for her Dutch class immediately after the singing session was done, I also did not get to ask her. I asked for feedback on things I am doing well and things that I need to adjust or do better. The feedback I got was actually not bad at all, I was mostly given a thumbs up and no critics. I persisted, but they said they really had nothing to fault and that I should just keep up the good work and even asked me to still keep coming even after my required 20 hours are completed.

Below are summaries of the feedback I got:

Etela/Ivana (sisters - Slovakians): “You are a very nice and friendly person. We always felt relaxed and good with you whenever you are around. Thank you for singing with us; it made us feel good.”

Johanneke (Belgian): “I am happy you’re volunteering here at Cherut, Dimma, all I have heard from the girls about you are all positive things. Please keep up the good work!”

Christa (American): In her exact words, “Dimma, the impression of you that will always remain with me is that of one with a cheerful friendly personality that quickly put others at ease. You are always ready to jump in and help out, and you always show genuine interest in getting to know and encourage others. When I was struggling to find a common interest with two of the girls, you were able to quickly jump in and share your love of singing with them.”

When I got home and reflected on my progress so far and the feedback I got, I felt really humbled by them and told myself to not let the positivity of their feedback make me relax and slack in well-doing but to rather let it motivate me to keep doing my best to be of help to the organization and its beneficiaries.

Day 5

Date: 8 April 2020

Duration: 15:00 – 18:00 (3 hrs)

Where: WhatsApp video call

Activities of the day

- Checking in on Etela and Ivana

- Singing session

Description of activities + evaluation and personal reflection

The next day after the last time I was at the drop-in centre, the coronavirus pandemic had gotten worse and lockdown protocols were already being set in motion, so my CSL program at Cherut looked like it was over until it wasn’t. I had to think of a way to make it work and I did. A few days after the lockdown protocols got in place, I began communicating with some of the ladies at the drop-in centre via WhatsApp chat to keep them company, ask about their well-being and see how they were generally doing, especially the two pregnant ones, Etela and Fatimata. I will reflect more on this on the final reflection of this CSL report.

Today, I called Ivana and Etela via WhatsApp video and held a singing session with them after I had exchanged long-lasting pleasantries with them. I asked how they were doing, and listened to them while they talked about a lot of things that were happening with them: some things that weren’t going well and the things that were going well, like how they had finally moved out of the drop-in centre to their own place now. The singing session went very well afterwards and at the end of it they wanted more as they felt and said that it helped them relax while missing their mother who was the only family they had back at home in Slovakia; so we decided to do it again next week.

Day 6

Date: 15 April 2020

Duration: 15:00 – 18:00 (3 hrs)

Where: WhatsApp video call

Activities of the day

- Checking in on Etela and Ivana

- Singing session

Description of activities + evaluation and personal reflection

The day’s events were similar to those of last week, I called Ivana and Etela at our appointed time and just like I was excited to hear from them, they were also excited to hear from me. After our exchange of pleasantries, we went into singing and had a really good time while at it. One thing that stood out to me more than anything else was that this buddy system I have with them was going on well and I was so glad that I was. It was helping them deal with loneliness and depression and I couldn’t be gladder to have chosen to continue communicating with them even after the coronavirus lockdown in Belgium began.

Conclusion & Reflection

Altogether, my CSL period has lasted for way more than 20 hours already; I have 23 hours documented in the log above and every single hour has been worth the while.

Customer satisfaction: is the organisation and clients/beneficiaries.

The organization and its clients/beneficiaries were very satisfied with my engagement and help. As you must have deduced from my daily reflections, I set out to really get involved in the organization and that was exactly what I did. I saw the need to really use my talent as an engaged listener to help the beneficiaries (rescued ladies) and I did this in several ways. The times they opened up to me too and started talking about their past and present, I just actively listened and afterwards gave them some words of encouragement and comfort to them and as a Christian, I prayed for them each day when I got home as well or sometimes on my way home. I had no idea that my singing talent could be of help as well until I saw the need for it and immediately offered to use it. I found out that engaging them in singing and helping around in the drop-in any way I could (cooking, cleaning, tutoring, etc.) really helped both fellow volunteers and the beneficiaries to relax and take a chill pill in life. The beneficiaries most especially saw it as a way to “get away”, “get free”, feel important, and feel loved; that was fulfilling to me. When the coronavirus pandemic resulted to a lockdown, I began to think of ways through which I could continue my CSL program with Cherut, especially since the beneficiaries will most likely need company now even more in order not to get too depressed. I took initiative and came up with the idea of calling these young ladies on the phone to ask how they are doing, keep them company and do some fun things with them. And while thinking of what fun things to do with them, I immediately recalled the singing sessions I was having with them before the lockdown began, so I decided to continue doing that over video calls. Most pertinently because it is one of the things that helps the two beneficiaries that I have these sessions with to stay happy with themselves and life altogether. I had given them an assignment the last time I was at the centre, 11 March 2020; they were to learn two particular songs I suggested which they were going to sing with me the next time we met. Little did I know that the coronavirus pandemic would lead to a lockdown before that ever happens.

A few days after I engaged in this personal brainstorming process and mapped out these plans, I contacted the Cherut responsible and founder, Johanneke van Slooten, with this idea I had via email, and she loved and appreciated it very much. She gave me the go-ahead order to start having the singing sessions with the two beneficiaries with whom I used to have them; she also gave me their contact details. I contacted the two beneficiaries, Etela and Ivana, via chat, and kept up with them for a few days before I presented the singing idea to them and they loved it. A few days afterwards, we had the first singing session and we have been in contact since then till date. I have had these sessions with them once a week or once in two weeks. The first two WhatsApp video call I had with them was in the month of April as can be seen in my log above. The WhatsApp video call logs documented in the log session above consists of 2 amongst the about 5 meetings/video calls I have had with them during this lockdown period. The first was the initial meeting where I asked about their well-being and mostly listened to them while they shared some things that were happening with me. Afterwards, we practised and sang the two songs they had been learning since the last time we met. We had no idea how three hours flew by so quickly. The second call was where we basically continued with our singing sessions but this time with new song suggestions from them. The singing sessions continued, but I did not go ahead to document the rest because it would basically be a repetition of the same things without any new added value. Problems/difficulties

Not going out to the streets because of time constraints was one of the difficulties I had during my volunteering period at Cherut. The time the organization normally sends volunteers out to the street to speak with girls (prostitutes) on the streets was in the evening, and for the weeks I went to the drop-in I couldn’t stay till evening time because I either had to attend a seminar or go back to school for a meeting before attending my DMA classes which took place on some of those Wednesdays. However, Wednesday was the only day of the week that I did not have classes from morning till evening, so it was still the best day to have chosen to do my CSL hours. Another slight difficulty I had was in knowing what to say when the beneficiaries complained to me about not liking how Johanneke always emphasized cleanliness of their surroundings to them. I was caught in-between and I did not want to take sides as that would not be respectful to either party, I also did not want that to happen again, so in order to resolve the conflict, I told them that personally, I also loved my things to be well organized and so that I could see where Johanneke was coming from but that I also could see where they are coming from because they feel ordered around too much. Then I added that they should just try to see things from Johanneke’s eyes and not term her “bad” for it since she had been of so much help to them generally in the past till now, helping them get a better life and all. After I told them that, they felt remorseful for how they had spoken about her and chewed their words back. Personally, a part of me disliked them at that moment because I felt that they had no right to speak of Johanneke the way they did, especially behind her back. However, I reminded myself that we all make mistakes and it is what we do about it that matters more. More so, I was happy to have been of help in resolving that conflict. Patience was also something I had a deal with even more because I was working with people who did not think or understand things as fast as people I relate more with daily do. So, having to repeat things so many times, while teaching them songs, English and Dutch, while trying to maintain my cool was a bit of difficulty but I got used to it along the way and it was all a successful journey at the end of the day.

What I found enjoyable (personally and professionally)

Personally, and professionally, I found communicating with fellow volunteers and the beneficiaries most enjoyable. This is because I could see the differences in our communication patterns (high context and low context) since we were all of the diverse nationalities and to me, this was good practice for my personal and professional development as an International Business Management student. Now I know a bit more about how to maintain good relations, keep a balance of peace even in the middle of conflict while working with people from all these cultures. It was a great practical extension of all I have learnt so far in my International Business Communication courses.

Intercultural sensitivity, (time) management and personal development

During my time at Cherut, including my in-lockdown time with the beneficiaries, I also had to reduce my English to the level the beneficiaries could understand, considering the fact they are from Slovakia and speak very little English with so many errors. While bringing my English down to their level to ensure we have smooth communication, I also tried to help them improve their English as well by correcting them sometimes (when I discerned it was okay to do so). As this was okay and much appreciated by them, I continued to do it. I also answered any questions they had regarding the English language; their questions were often about tenses and meaning of some words (to be put or explained in much simpler language expressions). In this way, my intercultural awareness and sensitivity improved so much. I learnt to be more patient and tolerant while working with the beneficiaries, in the song, English and Dutch teaching. As some of the songs I sang with them all together were also in Slovak, their native language, I learnt to sing a bit in this language while they learnt to sing better in English as well. My intercultural communication skills gradually and steadily improved in this way. For the sake of the privacy of the two beneficiaries I stayed in contact with during this lockdown period, I will not be sharing print screens of my chat with them. However, with their permission, I have shared a few print screens of my video calls with them in the log components above.

Asides language and music, I also learnt how to make a typical Slovak dish which I mentioned in my log above. It is a famous traditional dish called "Slovak Haluski" which can not only be eaten as a main dish but also as a side dish; we ate it with some crusty bread. Now I know that this is something I can expect to be offered/served, for example, if I get to do business with a Slovakian in the future. My (time) management also got ameliorated during the period of this CSL project. Not for once was I late to the drop-in centre or to my fixed WhatsApp calls with the beneficiaries. When I was still going to the drop-in centre, I made sure to always leave the early enough in order to catch an earlier train and arrive at the drop-in before 10:30 which was the time Johanneke gave me at the very beginning. I also had to do a lot of planning to fit the WhatsApp calls into my schedule because I had a lot of schoolwork to do as well. For someone like me who is still learning how to manage my time well, I saw a huge improvement in it all together this academic year and this CSL project contributed well enough to it. My other management skills, like decision making, innovative thinking, conflict resolution, etc also got heightened during my activities at Cherut as I had to come up with innovative ideas in uncertain situations, make some decisions (sometimes impromptu), resolve some conflicts, etc. as you have read in the sections above.

This CSL experience has taught me a lot so far and I am even more motivated to keep giving back to the society we all live in any way I can and to keep doing so wherever I find myself in the future as well. I have learnt that no talent or skill is to be taken for granted as you never know just what could put a smile on the many faces around the world that have probably forgotten how to smile until you go out there and take helpful steps.