Servant of the Month: Sofia K'omorebi
Author: Maibella Rhoiden
The Servant of the Month program is designed to recognise and encourage our members’ acts of service and philanthropy within their local communities and beyond. Each month, the Outreach Team randomly selects a member from among those who have posted within the Servant of All forum to be TarValon.Net’s Servant of the Month.
Sofia K'omorebi is a new face here at TarValon.Net. She joined our community in August of this year and is now a Citizen. I’ve seen Sofia’s name around the boards but haven’t had the opportunity to chat much with her. So before diving in to her acts of service I decided to get to know her a little.
The first thing I wonder when someone joins our community is what brought that person to us. Sofia says, “After finishing reading all the books, I found myself not quite ready to let the books go. I particulary love the idea of Aes Sedai and the White Tower, so I set to googling to see if there were others who felt the same way. And that's how I found out about TarValon.Net! I hesitated to join at first as I hadn't been a member of a community like it before, but I finally decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did.” I think many people find us for that reason! Sofia hopes to move up in rank and become an Aes Sedai at some point, since that is what drew her to the site to begin with.
Sofia is a 22 year old student from Sweden. This past spring she received her Bachelor's Degree in Japanese and Japan Studies. Sofia says “I'm very much in love with several aspects of Japanese culture, both old and new. I studied there for four months, and it was the best time of my life so far. I got to know many people of different backgrounds, which is what got me interested in anthropology. I'm a member of a dance group me and my friends created, and we dance to Korean and Japanese pop music. It's a lot of fun!” Sofia is currently studying Anthropology which she says is very interesting. She also works as a part time dog walker and says, “I LOVE dogs […] and hope to have a dog of my own once I get my own apartment.” So, a fascination with Japan and a love of dogs? I think Sofia will fit in perfectly with a lot of our members!
Since this edition of the Tar Valon Times is our Spooky Spectacular I ask Sofia if she celebrates any spooky holidays. She says, “Me and my friends usually celebrate Halloween. This year we're doing so by hosting a dress-up Harry Potter marathon - we're going to make butterbeer and other Harry Potter-ish drinks and foods as well!” Sounds like a lot of fun … too bad Sweden is too far for me to crash that party!
Finally getting to the point of our interview I asked Sofia what drew her to the Servant of All forum. She said she was interested to see what other people were doing to help out in their communities and in the world. “Knowing that people suffer due to unfortunate circumstances while I have every opportunity to succeed due to the circumstances of my birth feels so very unfair, and I want to at least try to even it out a little bit by helping in any way that I can. I read the posts there to be inspired, and wrote there myself so that maybe someone else could get an idea of a possible way of helping.” She went on to say, Servant of All is definitely something I apply to myself and not just the Wheel of Time. I feel like it's everyone's duty to try and help each other lead happier lives, even just making someone else smile helps. It doesn't have to be something big, but caring for others than yourself is something I think is very important for those who are able to do.” Well said Sofia.
In her post in the Servant of All forum this month Sofia shared two acts of service she did recently: giving blood and donating to UNICEF. Considering that the Tar Valon Times is doing our Spooky Spectacular this month I thought that giving blood was a particularly good thing to discuss. :)
Sofia told me that she first started giving blood at the urging of a classmate who donated and let others know that the blood bank was running low. She says, “I have a fear of needles, and thought it might be a good opportunity for me to get over that fear as well as help. It felt good to help, but my fear of needles unfortunately didn't get any better. I considered stopping, but around that time my grandmother got sick, and blood transfusions saved her life. I realised how important it is that people donate blood, and decided to continue, and have since also recruited a friend.”
In keeping with our spooky theme, and since we’re on the topic of blood, I asked Sofia what she thinks about vampires: “If a vampire decided they didn't want to kill people to get blood, I wouldn't mind if they were on the receiving end of my blood donations. I do feel sorry for them for not being able to eat garlic....” As an Italian I completely agree with Sofia about missing out on garlic. lol
The other act of service Sofia mentioned in her post was setting up a recurring donation to UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund). According to their website:
UNICEF is a leading humanitarian and development agency working globally for the rights of every child. Child rights begin with safe shelter, nutrition, protection from disaster and conflict and traverse the life cycle: pre-natal care for healthy births, clean water and sanitation, health care and education.
UNICEF has spent nearly 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Working with and for children through adolescence and into adulthood requires a global presence whose goal is to produce results and monitor their effects. UNICEF also lobbies and partners with leaders, thinkers and policy makers to help all children realize their rights—especially the most disadvantaged.
Sofia tells me that she used to make small monthly donations to Greenpeace.
She started doing this after meeting a Greenpeace representative “and realising how much money I would use on a cheap lunch could make a difference in their hands.” Why did she change from supporting Greenpeace to supporting UNICEF? “I decided to change to another charity, not because I didn't trust GP anymore, but just because I want my money to go to different causes as well. As I wrote earlier, I feel that its very unfair that I should have so many opportunites because of where and to whom I was born, while others have scarcely any opportunities. Unicef helps a lot with education in poor countries and areas, which gives children there slightly more opportunity.” She set up an automatic monthly donation because it is convenient and it “makes sure I don't forget to donate.” On occasion Sofia also donates to a shelter for abandoned dogs as well.
Just for fun I asked Sofia what superpower she thought would make her a champion of service. She says, “I would love to have the ability to hypnotise people into being nicer to each other, or create emphatetic links between people who distrust or hate each other to make them understand the other's mind!”
Thank you Sofia K'omorebi, Citizen of TarValon.Net, for your acts of service to your community. You are an excellent example of a Servant of All.
15:25, 26 November 2015 (PST)15:25, 26 November 2015 (PST)~~
Donating blood or plasma doesn’t cost you anything except some time, but it can literally save another person’s life. The American Red Cross says:
You don’t need a special reason to give blood.
You just need your own reason.
-Some of us give blood because we were asked by a friend.
- Some know that a family member or a friend might need blood some day.
- Some believe it is the right thing we do.
Whatever your reason, the need is constant and your contribution is important for a healthy and reliable blood supply. And you’ll feel good knowing you've helped change a life.
US residents can find out if you are eligible to donate blood at through the American Red Cross at this link. Europeans can find information about the eligibility requirements for their specific countries through this link.
Did you know that TarValon.Net is hosting a year-long blood drive for 2015?
[quote] For 2015 we are hosting a year-long Blood Drive, to both support those that give blood regularly and to encourage others to give blood. We recognize that this isn’t for everyone, and not everyone can give blood. Yet there are those that can and one of the problems that most Blood Banks run into is that people only give blood after disasters, and usually just the once. Blood is often needed weeks before hand and even after, it has a short shelf life and they need every drop year round. This year-long event is designed to address these needs year-round so that instead of reacting, as a community, we are preparing. Our goal for 2015, is to beat the 41 pints of blood donated in 2014.[/auote] If you do decide to donate blood be sure to report it via the form in this thread: https://www.tarvalon.net/showthread....15-Blood-Drive
Charitable organizations such as UNICEF are a great way to make a big impact when you have a limited budget. International organizations such as this one can pull a huge number of small donations that together can do far, far more than any of us can do individually. Setting up a recurring donation means less work for you and a steady stream of funding for the organization of your choice.
It is important to remember that small acts of service can make a big impact. The person or group you help receives the benefit of your service, you feel good about using your time and/or resources to help someone else, and perhaps you even inspire another person to their own act of service. It is a winning situation for everyone involved. Consider sharing your personal experiences in the Servant of All forum this month – maybe you post will inspire someone else!
