SEPTEMBER 2010 ONLINE EDITORIALS
Local philanthropist raises awareness for eliminating hunger
By Emily Johnson
(photos courtesy of FuseBox Studio)
t’s not every day that your neighbors give you chickens for a gift. That’s exactly what happened to Rob Bean, however, and it changed his life.
“It sparked an interest in me,” Bean said, referring to the idea of giving animals as gifts instead of money. The chickens came with an introduction to Heifer International, an organization that works with communities around the world to end hunger and poverty.
With gifts of livestock and training, Heifer helps families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. Heifer refers to the animals as “living loans” because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to pass on the gift by giving one of its animal’s offspring to another family in need.
In fact, Bean was not only interested in the idea; he was very moved by it and immediately became a supporter.
“When you own your own animal, it’s a huge lift,” Bean said. “A lot of things can happen to a community.”
Since 1944, Heifer has helped more than 62 million people – 12 million families – in more than 125 countries. What makes Heifer unique is that the recipients of the livestock also receive six months to sometimes five years of training, equipping them with the necessary skills to take care of their animals and earn an income.
Bean is excited to be a part of this four-footed attack against hunger.
“The more I’m involved, the more I want to be involved,” he said.
For the past three years, Bean has not only been an official spokesperson for Heifer but he has also used one of his passions, canoeing, to raise money for the organization.
The Big Moo Canoe is a brainchild that Bean started in 2007, when he paddled his canoe 250 miles in three days along the North Platte River in Wyoming. He raised $8,000 for Heifer.
“Once I began talking about it, people started getting involved,” he said. “I knew I was on to something.”
Since then, the event concept has grown, and Bean has helped people all over the country develop their own versions of the Big Moo Canoe.
This year in August, Bean and seven other team members from four different states (Team Heifer) canoed 340 miles in 18 hours on the Missouri River in the MR340 race to raise awareness and $16,000 in donations for Heifer.
In an effort to localize his interest in ending world hunger, Bean also organized a community event this summer at Swift Ponds for families to picnic, canoe, kayak, fish, and play games to raise $1,500 and food donations for the Larimer County Food Bank.
“I never intended to be so involved,” Bean said. “It’s become a passion now, and I’m thankful that I’m blessed with a stable job and skills to promote this cause.”
Bean is the Interactive Media Director of Burns Marketing in Johnstown. He plans on taking a hiatus from participating in Big Moo Canoe races for a while to use his expertise to take Heifer promotion to a new level. He hopes to visit one of the some of the communities that Heifer has served one of these days.
For now, he’s taking it one step at a time and enjoying the journey; and for Bean, it’s been quite a journey so far. As he looks back and reflects on how far he’s come in the past few years, he’s amazed.
“You know, if you come across an opportunity to help someone, you should take it and see where it goes.”
Visit www.moocanoe.com to donate and learn more about Rob Bean and Heifer International.