How the Song Began
In 2004, I had the opportunity to visit
Cambodia with my son. During the trip, I was hit with the
reality that many children in the world do not have the opportunity to
attend school. In fact, statistically about one third of the children
in the world won’t even eat tonight. The stark reality is that these children will not have opportunities without access to resources for education and nourishment. Without education, it is unlikely that they
will have much hope to rise out of their poverty.
Determined to make a difference, we created a
concept of developing schools and children’s homes to provide
education, nourishment, and the opportunity for children to
be transformed. In the fall of 2004, our executive team at Advantax
made a commitment to sponsor Agape School of Phnom Penh in
Cambodia, giving 100 children a chance for the future. In January of
2005 the school was created, sponsored entirely by Advantax. Beyond
profitability, this has given us a higher purpose for
existing.
In May, our executive team went to Ecuador
for team building and to gain a better perspective on the
needs of children throughout the world. We held babies whose
home was a garbage dump, met street kids whose lives were
being transformed. The experience impacted us significantly.
It broadened our perspective and gave us a renewed passion
for using our influence to positively impact children
throughout the world. It transformed the way we do business
at Advantax.
As I participated in the ribbon cutting and dedication of Agape School in July, I was overwhelmed with the thought that a company with 30 employees could make such a significant difference in the lives of 100 children. It hit me, if one company could have this impact, what impact could hundreds of small and midsized companies have? Schools and children’s homes all over the world giving children hope for the future. Harriette’s Song was created to provide an opportunity for companies to use their influence to positively impact children throughout the world, creating a higher purpose for existing.
David and Leslie LeVan
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