There’s a wonderful little book called Santa’s Gift that a friend sent to me last week. It’s written by Jeffrey Comment, an executive who spends his holidays dressed as Santa and visits cancer and aids patients.

His heartfelt stories and the courage of these kids makes you weep. The poignant pictures of thin, bald children wrapping their arms around Santa make you hug your own children and thank God for their good health.

There’s an essay in the book written by Sir Elton John who tells how he was inspired by 13-year-old Ryan White, who was one of the first AIDS activists.

“I went to the hospital every day,” says Sir Elton. “I saw Ryan and his family and learned the humility, generosity and the ability to forgive during the most tragic and sad circumstances. That week, when, instead of giving money I gave my time and understood how much it was appreciated, meant so much to me.”

Sir Elton goes on to say that the week he spent with Ryan was the catalyst that made him clean up his act, get sober, and start doing philanthropic work.

As I read this book, I realized that while giving money to charities is certainly commendable, it’s the time we spend with others that really counts.

A while ago I was leaving the gym and saw one of our principles, Leslie Glickman, sitting outside with an older woman. She’d been there for at least an hour showing her how to use a cell phone.

The woman was the mom of a former employee of the club. This was an example of spontaneous philanthropy—not planned, not calculated, just on-the-spot giving.

Michael Papamichael is involved in the Greek Church Parish council.

“It’s a lot of work but I thoroughly enjoy it,” he says. “It got me more involved not only with my church but also with the community at large. It keeps me balanced.”

By the way, you can see Michael in action at the next Big Fat Greek Food Festival in January of next year. He makes a mean souvlaki!

I take my dog, Marty, to work with disadvantaged kids. We had tried nursing homes, but it wasn’t the right fit. Volunteering, like everything else we do in life, should be fun and come from the heart!

The after effect of 9-11 made us so much more aware of how precious our lives are and how important friends and family are to our souls.

If we can extend this loving feeling outward to our community, especially those in need, we’ll not find ourselves with a broader range of contacts and friends, we’ll also feel better about ourselves.

You know that great feeling you have after a good workout? Well volunteering for a cause close to your heart or just lending a hand to a sick neighbor gives that same happy feeling. Instant high!

I have a friend who loves to take photographs. She goes to the animal shelter each week to take pictures of the dogs and cats to be published in the newspaper.

MBS member Commander Maria Maughan, who is with the Boca Raton police department, tells me “volunteering is the lifeblood of our community.”

“We couldn’t run our youth programs without volunteers,” she says, adding that the Police Athletic League could always use folks to help with their programs.

Interestingly enough, this “pay it forward” technique has had a boomerang effect.

“We started a pet therapy program with high risk kids and the Tri County Humane Society,” says Maria. “The kids trained the dogs so they could be more adoptable. And five of our puppies WERE adopted! This really reinforced the kids’ self esteem and pride in the program.”

If you want to get involved right here in your own backyard call Ms. Claudia Reilly at 338-1329.

Here are some suggestions from the book Santa’s Kids to help get you started:

*Forego purchasing that new CD or three cups of Starbucks coffee and use the money to buy new books for inner city kids.

*Donate food to the local food pantry all thought the year—not just during the holidays.

*Instead of going to the movies this weekend, use that time to shoot baskets or play board games with disadvantaged kids.

*Offer to tutor. There are about 40 million Americans who can’t read beyond first grade level. I know that many of the local schools have volunteer programs for the first graders who may need one-on-one help with their reading or math skills.

*Be a mentor. There are many opportunities to become a Big Brother or Big Sister in this community to help redirect a potential runaway kid.

If you want to get your company involved, log on the America’s Charities, the best-known and most loved charities in the world that includes Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House etc.