A Better Life

Voice 1

Thank you for listening to Spotlight, I'm Sara DeKoster.

Voice 2

And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Caring, commitment, compassion, courage, dedication, diversity, do the right thing, friendship, forgiveness, hard work, helping others, honesty, learning, hope, learning, love, opportunity, patience, respect, responsibility, right choices, self-esteem, sharing, service, strength, trust, unity, vision.

Voice 1

Today's Spotlight is on the Foundation for a Better Life.

Voice 2

When we read or watch or listen to the news today, it is very easy to get sad or feel hopeless. It seems like people just cannot be friends or love each other. There is war, violence, crime and people who are very poor.

Voice 1

These are all real problems in the world. But think for a minute about your own community where you live. Are you thinking about it? Can you see people? Do you see your friends and family? Do you see the people who work at stores and businesses around your town? What are they like?

Voice 2

Most people around the world try to do good things. They want to help people. They take time to smile and say hello. They are kind and loving and patient. So why do we never read news about these people?

Voice 1

Today we want to talk about a group that is working hard to provide examples of good people doing good things. This group is called the 'Foundation for a Better Life'.

Voice 2

The Foundation for a Better Life, or FBL, is a non-profit group. That is, they do not exist to make money. Their purpose is simple. They want to encourage people to live better lives.

Voice 1

The FBL believes that all people deserve respect. They believe that people are responsible for the things they do. And they believe that most people are ready and willing to do good things.

Voice 2

They also believe that it is helpful to encourage people to do good things. Sometimes people can get busy in their lives. They just need some help remembering how to be a better person. That is what the Foundation for a Better Life wants to do. The FBL hopes that by helping people remember good values, people will work to improve themselves, their community and their country.

Voice 1

So what are these good values that the FBL wants people to remember? Well, we listed many of them at the beginning of this program. They are values like caring, respect, hard work, patience, trust, forgiveness, strength, service, sharing, and love.

Voice 2

The FBL uses many different ways to help people remember these important values. They have a website on the internet. On this website, people can see the list of all of the values. There are over fifty [50] values on the list! Each value has its own special webpage. On each webpage you can read real stories from real people. You can read about famous leaders and heroes who are good examples of that particular value. You can even send in your own stories to share with other people!

Voice 1

For example, here is a story found on the FBL page for the value commitment. A commitment is like a promise. This is a story from one man about his commitment to his wife.

Voice 3

Here we stand. Our arms are linked. We are surrounded by our friends and family. Lights are shining. Tables are covered in good food. And big band music is playing from the radio. It is our fortieth [40th] wedding anniversary party. Our daughter raises her glass. She gives a speech to honor our love and commitment. I look over at my wife. I see a small tear in her eye.

We did not come this far in our marriage because it was easy. We made it through these last forty [40] years because we promised each other that we would. We were committed to each other even when we did not feel like we were. That means we never tried to get out of the marriage - even during times that were hard or painful. We learned to find common ground. We discovered that difficult situations can make a person stronger and more patient.

Staying committed to your goals and dreams does not mean that they will always be easy. But it does mean that you will be working towards something important. Today, the happy look on my wife's face is all I need. Her look tells me that our commitment to each other has been worth it.

Voice 2

There is also a page on the FBL website that lists good news. At the beginning of this program we told about how much bad news people hear. Well, people at the FBL read many newspapers, magazines and internet sites every day. They find news about people doing good things. They put those good news stories on their website.

Voice 1

The FBL is using more than just their website to encourage these values. They are also making short commercials for television. And, they have put up billboards - large signs on the side of major roads in the country.

Voice 2

One of these billboards has a picture of a young girl. She is sitting behind a table. She is selling cold lemonade to the people in her community. This little girl's name is Alexandra Scott. Two days before Alexandra's first birthday doctors discovered that she had a rare form of childhood cancer. She spent much of the next few years of her life in a hospital in Connecticut in the United States. When Alexandra was four years old she decided she wanted to have a lemonade stand. She wanted to sell lemonade for people to drink. She wanted to use the profit to help her hospital. In July of 2000, Alexandra gave over two thousand dollars [$2000] to her hospital. She had earned it all herself!

Voice 1

People around the country heard about Alexandra's lemonade stand. They wanted to help. The next year Alexandra raised over twenty thousand dollars [$20,000]! And the next year she raised a million dollars [$1,000,000]! Alexandra died in August of 2004. But before she died, she set another goal. She hoped to raise five million dollars [$5,000,000]!

Voice 2

On the billboard next to her picture is the word "inspiration." Alexandra is an inspiration to many people. That is, people have seen the things that she has done. It inspires them - it makes them want to do great things too.

Voice 1

Every billboard that the FBL makes contains the words "pass it on." The FBL says that the values we live by are worth more when we pass them on!

Hope - pass it on! Strength - pass it on! Courage - pass it on! Kindness - pass it on!

What good values can we all remember to pass on today?

Voice 2

You can visit the FBL website on the internet. The website is in English, but you can also view it in Spanish and Portuguese. You will find a link to the FBL website on the on the Spotlight website - www.radio.english.net. Look for the program called 'A Better Life'. The link is there.

This program was written and produced by Sara DeKoster. You can send us email at radio @ english . net. We hope you will join us again for Spotlight, good-bye!