Introducing Me: Raya

Hi! My name is Raya and I am the fundraising director for Hearts to Heroes. My role on the Hearts to Heroes board is to collaborate with the other amazing fundraising director Ivana to help manage all aspects of fundraising, set goals for the coming year, and help manage the overall workings of the club along with our other board members. 

The COVID-19 pandemic instilled a sense of gratitude in most people for the little things. We realized how much it meant to see a smiling face as you walk by a stranger in the halls, we realised the comfort that the small talk you make with a cashier can bring, we realised the impact of a small touch of reassurance from a friend or a teacher, and the security of access to healthcare professionals at all times. After the pandemic, each one of these moments fills me with overwhelming gratitude for the heroes in my community and I have looked for ways to give back to them throughout my high school career. 

Many times we forget to show gratitude towards the heroes in our lives. And those who give the most are often the ones that receive the least. It is commonly shared that it takes twice as many muscles to frown than it does to smile, showing that joy is easier than sorrow, however many times finding the reasons for joy can be just as exasperating. So, through this club I strive to give reasons for joy for those heroes that give so much of themselves for the benefit of others and who have always been a bright light for others during their hardest times. Hearts to Heroes has given students the opportunity to show gratitude to our own community heroes who are the foundation of our society through small acts of kindness. The club is dedicated to spreading joy and there is truly nothing better than knowing that what you do makes a difference. 

I am a firm believer that the smallest of actions make the largest of differences and that small moments of joy are the ones that are remembered for a lifetime. The impacts of a smile, compliment, small gesture, or a quick thank you should never be overlooked or undervalued, and they are a universal gift with no cost. From this club I have learned to live life with the purpose of spreading joy and gratitude and I thank all those that are a part of the small actions that bring light to our world.