And with that she threw another starfish back into the ocean. The boy, at first confused by the girl’s relentless motivation to save the starfish, then decided to join the little girl by throwing each fish back into the ocean.
Then many children decided to join in and help, and soon there were boys and girls scattered all along the shore, saving the lives of the washed-up starfish. In the city of Calcutta, the need is so great, that at times it is overwhelming.
This story reassured us that by focusing on a specific cause, like the blind school, we are still making a difference and reaching out to kids around the world. And hopefully through our efforts, we will motivate our peers to want to get involved.
One of the most frequently asked questions we get is, “why did you choose The Starfish Children’s Fund as the name for your organization?”
During our first trip to Calcutta, the director of the blind school told us a story which inspired him to start the school. We were so taken with the starfish story that we decided to call our organization The Starfish Children’s Fund.
The starfish story goes something like this:
One day, a little girl was walking along the beach when she came upon a starfish that was dying in the sun. She picked it up, threw it back into the ocean, and continued her stroll along the seashore.
She came upon another starfish, and another, and she continued to throw them back into the ocean until she realized that the entire shore was covered with washed-up starfish.
A little boy encountered the girl, who one-by-one was throwing each starfish back into the ocean, and asked "Why are you wasting your time saving these starfish? You will never be able to save them all.” The little girl replied, "Well, I may not be able to save them all, but I can save this one."