Inspiration from History: Heightened Hearts and Community-Based Action

The mission of Heightened Hearts – to ensure that all people are afforded safety, welfare, warmth, and nutrition – is one that extends from our local area across the globe. We believe strongly in the equity of all people, no matter their location. At our location in Miami, we seek out service projects that help our local community, from providing clothing, food, and supplies, and working with those in crisis.

However, we also extend our efforts internationally – over the holidays serving in Mexico; this month, working in the Ukraine; and, working towards other efforts both domestically and abroad over the next year. We partner with local community members with the understanding that they will provide us priorities to focus on. We understand the importance of this and find inspiration in the work of some other organizations that have done the same.

This Week in History…

On January 10^th, 1920, the first meeting of an international collective known as the League of Nations commenced, with a mission of the international community working together to achieve peace and understanding between countries. On the same day in 1946, the first assembly of the United Nations took place, which replaced the former collective and included delegates from 51 countries, including the United States.

In the century since the formation of these groups, the United Nations has worked tirelessly to create bridges between disconnected cultures, to advocate for those living in the most need across the globe, to ensure that all people are given equal access to the things they need to thrive, and to appreciate the diversity of values and beliefs that are present when people from different backgrounds come together to create lasting global solutions.

What Can We Learn?

At Heightened Hearts, we learned very early in our work many of the same lessons that help organizations like the United Nations function effectively over the long-term:

People are people: In the realm of helping, there is no person or group that should be given preference over any other. All people, regardless of race, religions, beliefs, or location, are equal in the eyes of God and should be treated as such by those here on Earth. We seek out those living with the greatest needs and we focus on doing what we can.

Effective helping is integrated with diversity: Every person comes from a place that is wholly their own, with beliefs, opinions, and values stemming from their own experiences. For us to be effective, we must embrace these differences and use the best of what each person has to offer to guide us in meeting our goals as an organization. As long as we are united by the desire to reach out and help other people, we can do all things we hope to accomplish.

Community-based work is the most effective: We know that the communities we serve are experts on their needs. We consistently engage with community members to determine which families are most in need of help, what services would be the most beneficial, and how resources can be allocated most effectively. We turn to our community experts to guide us in our work – in turn, they turn to us to provide the resources, supplies, and time to help them create real changes in their lives.

To learn more about our mission and how you can help support our work, please visit our page on how to get involved or how to donate.