What images come to mind upon hearing the phrase “minimum wage”?  The shaky hands of an elderly man dipping frozen fries into a deep fat fryer?  A poorly complected teenage boy forlornly sanitizing a milk shake machine?  A middle aged mother of three working the late shift, lifelessly scanning bar codes… so that we can all have “Everyday Low Prices”?  A middle aged man too sick to work at the hospital as a janitor anymore and without sufficient insurance to receive treatment there?  To pay a worker minimum wage is to say to him or her, “Your contribution to society is of so little value that only law compels us to compensate you at this level.”  In America, to live on minimum wage is to be small, the last and the least.

What images come to mind upon hearing the phrase “philanthropist”?  The former CEO of a Fortune 500 company stepping off a private jet and onto a remote runway in the middle of the Sudanese desert?  A woman in a blazer passing through the gates of customs handcuffed to a brief case full of money?  Or maybe, a man in Italian leather shoes cutting the ribbons to bridges, hospitals and schools built with his money and bearing his name?  A white haired individual dying in a bed at the Mayo Clinic, signing his fortune away on the dotted line?   In America, to be a philanthropist is to be the first and the best.  They have made their contribution to society and have been richly rewarded for it.  Many people’s conception of a philanthropist is a man or women who has succeeded, built their mansion, accumulated their fortune and has so much in excess that they have nothing better to do than give the rest of it away.

This summer we took $3100 hundred dollars gained from a garage sale and a few random donations and opened the bank accounts of ECTA, our new Non-profit.  Some may ask the question, “With the tens of thousands of charitable foundations, humanitarian organizations, aid agencies, developmental programs, endowments and trusts in existence, with USAID, UNICEF and the World Bank, is there really need for another group trying to make a difference?” In an age of billionaire philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet, is there still a need for the “widow’s mite”?

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more   into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.

As a community, we at ECTA have developed an interesting principal for our organization and its members.  Those who work for ECTA will be paid a salary, for “a worker is due his wages”.  But that salary, for all current and future workers, will remain pegged at minimum wage.  When resources are limited we will dip into our own pockets to pay for our international travel, visa fees, and other expenses in India.  When it comes time to build a clinic or buy an ambulance, if funds are insufficient  we will shake out our pockets and see how many coppers there are in the community.  It will serve as a daily reminder that we need to live simply and humbly if we are to be good stewards of the resources we have been entrusted with.

Legally, ECTA is a 501c3, tax-exempt Non-profit corporation.  But that is not what ECTA really is.  ECTA is Andrew Sullivan, an EMT and Raft Guide with a degree in Tourism and Recreation.  ECTA is Debbie Sullivan, a W-EMT, ski coach, triathlete and mother of one (daughter Ashlyn) with a degree in Cultural Anthropology.  ECTA is Brenton Hutson, a former Marine responsible for training Iraqi Police in Fallujah, who is about to finish his degree in International Non-Profit management.  ECTA is Amanda Phillips, a Nationally Certified Midwife and Mother of two sons (Asher and Shepherd) with a degree in Science.  ECTA is Ryan Phillips, a W-EMT, Primary Health Care worker and speaker of Nepali with a degree in Global Studies.  ECTA is everyone who contributes time, effort, creativity and their “mite” to see to the fulfillment of the community’s endeavors.  Amanda and I plan to receive only a single minimum wage salary, and reinvest 100%, of what would otherwise be, our second salary into ECTA’s life saving endeavors.  Our hope is to also live on much less than this single salary and pay for a significant piece of our work out-of-pocket.  On July 24th, minimum wage creeps up to $7.25 an hour.  Calculating a 40 hour work week, and 52 weeks of labor, our income will come out at $15,080 per annum.

There are many categories in which people could label our work… development, social activism, charity, non-profit, NGO, missions, aid, or humanitarian work.  Each one has its own positive and/or negative associations, and seems insufficient to describe the heart of what we do.  Despite its recently acquired nuances, philanthropy may be the best word for our endeavors.  Philanthropy comes from the Ancient Greek words philo for love and anthro for man; in other words “to love people”.  In the modern sense, a philanthropic act is to give money, services, time, effort or goods to benefit others with no intention of financial or material reward.  When the ancient and modern definitions are combined the word paints an accurate image.  When our preconceived notions are stripped away, we see that a widow with one mite can be a philanthropist and that a group of American 20 somethings, living on minimum wage, have more to offer society than “friendly service with a smile” at the cash register.

I would like to invite you to join in our philanthropy.  Give your time as a volunteer.  Give your effort as a worker.  Give goods to meet the needs of others.  Give your services and professional skills.  Give your mite.  To cover 3 minimum wage salaries (our own plus one for Drew and Debbie Sullivan and one for Brenton Hutson), the cost of our projects and some minimal organizational expenses, we need to raise at least $80,000 a year.  For Bill and Melinda Gates a trifle but for us everything we have and need.  America is in a period of recession, some would argue a depression, but when we give out of our poverty our gift means more than Warren Buffet’s $37.4 billion deposit in the treasury.  In recent months, across America I’ve noticed a surge of people standing on street corners holding cardboard signs stating things like  “Father of four, laid off, no food left at home”, “Masters Degree in Business, take this resumé”, “Broke, facing foreclosure” and “Hungry and Helpless, God Bless”.  In sending out this request, I feel as if I standing out there too with a sign that says “Will Work For Food”.  It is not only for my family’s food that I do so but to provide better health care, education and employment opportunities to 45 villages in the Himalayas.

If you would like to learn more about our plans for a health clinic, Village Health Worker Training Program, maternity center, child-to-child health education program and ambulance service, visit www.ecta-international.org or click here on “projects” (don’t forget to “Read More“).  If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved click on people.  If you would like to send a monetary contribution in the form of a check or make an online donation via PayPal (PayPal account not necessary, automatic recurrent donation option coming soon) click on donate.  If you would like to see pictures of the Indian Himalayas and ECTA’s members in action click on gallery.

Thanks again for your time, interest and support,
In Him,
Ryan, Amanda, Asher and Shepherd

And for those who do not have a mite to give whose strength and health have waned, I suggest praying this prayer on our behalf…

A Franciscan Prayer:

God bless us with discomfort at easy answers,

half truths, and superficial relationships

so that we may live deep within Your heart.

God bless me with anger at injustice, oppression,

and exploitation of people,

so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace.

God Bless us with tears to shed for those

who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them

and turn their pain into joy.

And God bless us with enough foolishness to believe

that we can make a difference in the world,

so that we can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all

our children and the poor.

AMEN.

“Small things done in great love change the world” - Mother Theresa
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” - Mahatma Ghandi
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www.ecta-international.org
www.causes.com/ecta (facebook site)
ECTA Introduction Video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_sHnYydGdQ