We’re living in pretty unprecedented times this Ramadhan. The viral jump from animal to human has brought the world to a standstill, on lockdown. More than ever, the vast challenges on a human level have never been more stark.
We’ve been through hardship before and I’m sure we will again, and it comes in all shapes and sizes. From personal challenges to the battle scars of running a business, your wellbeing is a great character to protect in those difficult times. I wanted to take a few moments to tell you about something close to our heart, that encompasses what we do and what makes so much of that hardship worthwhile.
The Serendipity Foundation has been a mainstay of our company from day one, and here’s why it will always be so. The circle of rewards takes time, it’s not instant and patience is required, even when you literally want to break a wall.
Our first booking was in the summer of 2011, I remember it well. I was sitting in my wife’s old bedroom at her parents’ house, it was about 7pm and my mobile rang. After half an hour chatting about the client’s wedding plans, I had made the first booking under the Serendipity brand, a honeymoon to the Maldives.
I was ecstatic. I had made an earning by providing a service that someone wanted, something I could provide them. It was a modest booking but set the tone for the months to come. Sitting on the vintage looking carpet, I said to myself, I’ve been given a reward in the form of a financial benefit for that perseverance, but I don’t want to keep it all to myself. So I decided to use the first profit the business made to make a difference to someone else’s life. We pledged £5 for each of those passengers that booked (so £10 of the modest profit) to helping someone else. The Serendipity Foundation was born, and within a few weeks, we had an account set up for the foundation.
Today, we’ve raised nearly £10’000 to supporting projects from services for the deaf in East London, to projects in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Last year I was in Thailand in collaboration with the Six Senses Resorts setting up a local school with new computer equipment for the new term. To take out a few days to head out to projects like this is so important not only to give back but to remaining grounded that we are all servants of a greater good and to the world around us.
So as we enter the final ten nights of Ramadhan, how will we make the most of that time? During the nights of Al Qadr, our good deeds are multiplied. In the last 10 days of Ramadan, what better way than to donate your Sadaqa Jariya, multiplying your continuous reward and creating a lasting legacy of blessings. As Allah mentions in Surah al Qadr, in the nights where our destiny is written, secure your future by giving in the way of Allah. Try to find Laylat al Qadr and give the gift that keeps giving.
Tell us how you have or intend to use your time this Ramadhan in the comments below.
For more information, visit www.serendipityfoundation.com