Are there any starfish in Hurricane?

I read this article in Russell's BYU Magazine last week, and it really resonated with me. I can't seem to forget it, and the work that the subject of the article carries out.

We've all heard the starfish parable, right? While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water. He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.” Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!” The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

How fulfilling it must be to know, without a doubt, that you make such a tremendous difference in people's lives. I often wonder how much I could be/should be doing for those around me. I know I have life changing influence over about 7 lives; those of myself, my husband, and all my children. But how much do I affect others around me? People like Miss De Lange in the article inspire me, make me want to do more than I am currently doing. In terms of helping the organization spotlighted in the article (thestarfishfosterhome.org) I intend to make a donation in my mother's and father's names for their Mother's/Father's Day gift. This is a tradition I started when I began having a hard time finding gifts for my parents, who have everything they need and can buy what they don't. I make donations to various non-profits in their name for holiday gifts. I think it shows that I'm thinking of them, and yet together we can help those who truly need it. I hope they appreciate the gesture. They seem to. Beyond helping this organization, though, I want to take opportunities to be more helpful, loving, and supportive to those closer to me. I'm adding to my monthly goals list to help one local non-profit cause each month of the year, whether it be through money of food donations, volunteering time, or whatever is needed. One cause a month, that's my goal. I hope a concrete goal like that will help me better identify opportunities around me instead of letting the world slip by my busy life unheeded. And I hope that sometimes, when the moment is just right and my efforts are sincere, I can truly make a difference for someone.