Introductory Speeches and Outros to Look Back on

This is a picture of a rubber ball that lights up when you bounce it.

It's difficult to prioritize what to write about or how to do it, but I will try to make a method of this madness. I'm envious of others for making it seem so easy.

The weekend was fun-filled, and I had a good jam on at the open mic due to a sudden uninhibited vibe and the spontaneous benefit of a guest drummer. I had a bit of sport at my fellow crew-member's residence the Friday before that, playing cards against new challengers, where I was also exposed to some excellent party costumes: people decked out in bathrobes. Had a social breakfast at the Apollo the morning after. Great for eggs and friendly atmosphere!

Last week, both the Career Fair and the concert were a success. I got a little ball with a battery of some kind and a device which lights up and flashes red when you bounce it. It came from Ontario Power Generation. I also talked to IBM, Desire2Learn, a local educational resources business, and learned a bit about government positions.

The weather is like the summer we should have had, which means, NOT blistering hot or humid enough to suffocate babies. I'm enjoying it like a delicious desert to summer excess.

In the meantime, school is inspiring. My courses are giving me lots to look up, in terms of info. We had an exercise in Presentation Skills class where we got to pick a charity and then write and present a short speech to introduce the speaker of your choice for a fundraiser event.

Although my character is entirely fictional, he's roughly based on reality, and I felt like I got to know him as his story unfolded on the page. I'd like to share his experience with you. I'm convinced that were he to exist, he would be a great speaker for this initiative. Habitat for Humanity and the Rockefeller Plaza project are real, and it's likely that someone exists out there who is similar to this character. We know that there are many who need people like him. Despite his nonexistence, I find his story inspiring nonetheless. I suppose sometimes our imaginary friends turn out to be someone you look up to.

Here's a little about him:

I assume that we're all here for the same reason: we believe in humanity. This organization hopes to express that by building homes around the clock, and transforming Rockefeller Plaza into "Humanity Plaza" for the hurricane Katrina victims. The speaker that I'm about to introduce has a lot of experience with being homeless, but he now rebuilds lives, nail by nail.

He grew up in Santa Ana, Salvador, on a coffee plantation. His family was poor, but he recalls a rich childhood, making rafts and swimming in the Coatepeque Lake. As he grew up, soccer was always a big part of his life. Then, in June 1969, when tensions were mounting between Honduras and El Salvador over purported illegal immigrants from El Salvador, war erupted. He remembers his father taking him to a soccer match in San Salvador in June, when riots broke out. By July, the Salvadorian air force was conducting strikes on Honduran soil. El Salvador was becoming overpopulated with returning immigrants, and his home was completely destroyed. They wandered to various camps, looking for food and shelter, but it wasn’t until they found Habitat for Humanity, that they finally had a home again.

Slowly, his family started to get back on their feet. In 1978, when his father fell weak and died, Jorge was the oldest son, so he decided that he should continue doing what was done for him, and he traveled to Africa, where he worked with children and built houses. He then served as a buildertraveledelleBangkokankok, Thailand, where he built houses for the Tsunami victims and orphans.

Because of his generosity and kindness, he has been referred to by many children simply as "papa." It is my pleasure to introduce, Jorge Gonzales.

-The author of this story is not affiliated with Habitat for Humanity on any professional basis, nor is he employed by them. Any simliarities between Jorge Gonzales and any real person/s are completely coincidental.-