Just a short while ago, I was standing in line at a local store with a variety of items in hand. I was about to purchase a polka-dotted journal, multicolored gel pens, a wind-up, battery-free flashlight, and a set of pink and fuchsia playing cards. If I were to give these items to any little girl, she would be excited, and she would have things to do for days upon end! She could play hide and seek in the dark for hours, learn card tricks and games, create colorful pictures, write down thoughts and dreams, and more. Now imagine this: what if I were to put these four items into a small backpack, filled to the brim with other goodies. What if the backpack included everyday items, such as a toothbrush and socks? What if this act was multiplied by 145, and, as a result, 145 smiles spread wide across the faces of girls and boys who need this joy the most?

For the students at the Jatson Chumig School in Lhasa , Tibet , this joy is soon to become a reality. Inspired by the dynamic presentation of Brian McClatchy, the students of Saint Peter-Marian High School have come together to create 145 Backpacks of Joy, and of Love. When Brian came to Saint Peter-Marian late in January, I was in awe after his presentation. The faces of those beautiful Tibetan children have been forever engrained into my mind, as have the pictures of their stunning land, Tibet. I will never forget the enthusiastic greeting of “Tashidelek!” from Brian, nor will I forget the gut-wrenching stories of the lives of the children that he is so passionate about. A friend of mine, Dave, had said to me, “It is like a world of their own. Imagine, having so little that it is necessary to share ... everything.” Dave’s comment is straight to the point: these children truly have little or no contact with the outside world: the love that they know is purely within their grasp, from those whom they are surrounded by. I am amazed: in every photograph that I look upon, hope is truly evident in the big, shining eyes of these children.

            The students at Saint Peter-Marian have been as inspired as I have, and they have truly come together to respond to these eyes of hope. My own eyes have been thoroughly opened to the generosity of the students as I have witnessed the backpacks and trinkets trickling in. As far as process goes, the students had been split into groups, and each group member had offered to bring in one or two of the items on the list. However, one or two items became three, four, and even five items per student! My friend Dan, whose dad is a dentist, had toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste donated for all of the backpacks. The response has been incredible.

            It is my hope that the children at the Jatson Chumig School in Tibet will receive these Backpacks of Joy, and that their big, beautiful eyes grow even larger with wonder and with rapture. I hope that the children realize that they are loved by us, and that we who are on the outside are looking in to them, reassuring them. As we continue in our effort to promote peace and unity, the other students and I proudly put up our first two fingers, just as the Tibetan children do, to show that we are one. When the sun rises in the morning and sets at night, the people of the world all view the same sun. Although the times at which we view it may differ, the warmth and light eventually reaches all of us. In this way, we are at peace. In this way, we are one.