When I was in junior high school, what my friends thought of me was real important to me. During those years, I grew much taller than most of my classmates. I didnˈt want to be laughed at for my unusual height, so I went along with the crowd who would play jokes on other kids at school. Of course, the jokes were directed at others and not at me.

Once my friends and I put IcyHot (止痛贴) in the shorts of one of the kids on the basketball team. Not only was he terribly embarrassed, but he also had to go to the school nurseˈ s office.

My father didnˈ t think that my behavior was funny, He reminded me about the golden rule: to treat others as I would like to be treated. What I was doing was hurting other kids, and in turn hurting my reputation (名声) as someone to be looked up to. My friends were looking up to me because I was tall, but what did they see ?

He wanted me to be a leader who was a good example to others. He told me over and over again to be the leader that I was meant to be -- to be a big man in my heart and actions, as well as in my body. I had to question myself whether or not it was important to be the kind of leader and person my father believed I was inside. I knew in my heart that he was right.

Once I focused on being the best that I could be at basketball and became a leader in the game, I took my responsibility (责任) to set a good example more seriously. I sometimes have to stop and think before I act, and I make mistakes sometimes. But I continue to look for opportunities where I can make a difference, and to set a good example.

About six years ago I was going through a tough time, trying to work two jobs to afford my rent. One cold Sunday morning, I went to Gameshop-a video game retailer (零售商), to   (1)   the game I had reserved. A woman in a car parked outside called me when I   (2)   the store. Though it was in broad daylight, I was   (3)   about it and kept some distance when I walked over. She said she couldn’t walk and    (4)   me to purchase a Kinect, a popular game, for her as her  (5)   Christmas gift. Due to her leg disease it was   (6)   for her to move around. She called ahead but the employer wasn’t willing to   (7)  . She gave me about ＄100 in cash and her credit card.

I walked back in and bought the Kinect. Then it   (8)   me. What was it   (9)   stopped me from lying about the payment method and just pocketing her cash? She couldn’t know I wasn’t a   (10)  ; and how could she possibly have so much  (11)   someone?

I handed her the cash back,   (12)   I had to pay with her card—it was above ＄100 at the time, and handed over the   (13)  and her credit card. “This is what my son’s been longing for. Thank you! By the way, just from   (14)   at you, I know you are the one who’ll be a friend to someone   (15)  . You have a face of an angel!” she said. She gave me ＄10 and   (16)   to take it back. Then she   (17)  , saying “Merry Christmas”

She had no idea how much of a   (18)   even ＄10 made. I was able to buy a few cheap groceries for the week and it really made a   (19)   time in my life a little better. She may think I helped her; I truly like the one who was being gifted something amazing,   (20)  .

Not many years ago，a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England．He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries．When he was seventy﹣five，he gave￡12，000to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children's playground．

As a result of his kindness，many people came to visit him．Among them was a newspaperman．During their talk，Johnson said that he was seventy﹣five and expected to live to be a hundred．The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy﹣five．Johnson had a sense of humor．He liked whisky （威士忌酒） and drank some each day. “I have an injection （注射） in my neck each evening,” he told the newspaperman，thinking of his evening glass of whisky．

The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant．In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy﹣five and had a daily injection in his neck．Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain，asking him for the secret of his daily injection．

   I set out to change the lives of those who need help by joining my school’s newly formed Free The Children Club. Through the determination of friends, the group has grown bigger and stronger each year. Over the past two years my friend, Alex Auclair, and I have become the leaders of the club.

   Already, after only two years of fundraising(筹款), we have raised over three thousand dollars and almost two thousand food items through various fundraising efforts. For example, each year a 24-hour famine(饥饿) is planned resulting in completely no consumption(消耗) of food. By taking part in these activities, we put ourselves in the shoes of someone living in poverty.

No money raised goes to waste. At the end of each school year, the group takes a vote to determine where our funds will be spent and donated (捐赠). Last year, we bought enough desks, chairs, supplies and textbooks for every student in a Kenyan school. This year, we plan to spend our earning helping out families in Sierra Leone.

   Poverty is a worldwide issue affecting the lives of people in not only developing countries, but also first-world countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan. Living in poverty can result in hunger, many forms of disease, lack of education, and for millions, death. It dose not have to be this way. You too can form a club like the Free The Children Club or you can participate in events outside of school. Get your friends, family, even your community involved in fundraising. Do what you can to change the world.