Welcoming Our Newest Intern: Shannyce Lashley Life Vest Inside is excited to welcome Shannyce Lashley on board as one of our newest interns. Shannyce has recently moved from Trinidad and is pursuing her degree in journalism and communications. Over the past few weeks Shannyce has shown herself to be committed to spreading the message of kindness by embodying it on a day-to-day basis. Read below as Shannyce shares her experience with Life Vest Inside and why kindness is so important to her. Shannyce, welcome aboard to the LVI family! “I first learned about LVI through an internship workshop at Brooklyn College and I must say that I was captivated by the organization’s mission. I believe that everything in life happens for a reason and this was clearly noted when I had the opportunity of meeting Orly Wahba, the Founder of Life Vest Inside, on the day of the workshop. For as long as I could remember I have always been interested in helping others. When I saw the video “Kindness Boomerang,” I knew that I had found my purpose in life. This may sound cliché, but I had found my calling. I had the opportunity to speak to Orly when the workshop ended, and amazingly enough we both clicked! I was in love with what she was trying to accomplish through LVI, and I knew that I could be a helping hand in seeing that through. Every day we are given the opportunity to make someone else smile, so why not do it. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see.” At Life Vest Inside, we are changing the way people see themselves and others by spreading the word of kindness and empowering people to see that even a simple act of kindness can go a long way. I am passionate about helping others and I believe that the opportunity that Orly has afforded me will definitely make a difference in the world. This may seem a bit far-fetched, but once you believe you can achieve! A small group of people can change the world! Life Vest Inside’s mission is to make kindness go viral and that is exactly what we are going to do because after all…kindness keeps the world afloat! My first memory of experiencing a kind act was in my pre-adolescent years. As a child I used to perform ballet, and one year at dance camp, I was unable to complete a dance routine because I fell down and twisted my ankle. I remember my dancing partner running over to my side to help me stand up. She did not have to do that, but she chose to be kind and help me. Similarly, when I was in high school, I did something that helped me see the world differently. I realized that we do not have to be kind, but in fact we choose to be kind, and in doing so, we uplift ourselves in ways others can only dream of experiencing. One morning on my way to school there was a homeless man near my car. I stopped at the traffic light and he came up to my window and said, “Ms. I’m not here to ask you for any money, all I want is something to eat.” I reached over into my bag and gave him my sandwich. He occupied my mind throughout the rest of the day and at the time I didn’t fully understand how much of a difference I made. After that, each day I saw him I would give him my lunch. Honestly, he changed my life more than I changed his. He showed me that something small can in fact make someone’s life better. Kindness is an important part of fixing things in the world because we as human beings need to look out for one another. The main goal humanity has to achieve is the actualization that we need to be our brother’s or sister’s keeper. People should choose kindness because it is what keeps the threads of humanity tightly bound. We are all made up of different races, colors, religions, and cultures, but it is our difference that makes us unique. Together we make up the quilt of humanity – and it is one beautiful quilt!” ~Shannyce Lashley Thank you so much Shannyce for sharing with the LVI community and for living a life of kindness.


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