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Each year around this time, we try to highlight interesting and inspirational remarks given at graduation ceremonies in Maine and around the country. For us, one particular speech stands out so far this year — not only because of its message, but because of the memorable way the speaker delivered it.
We’ll admit that we hadn’t heard of telecommunications billionaire Robert Hale until recently. For the last several years now, Hale has shown up to graduations not just with good advice and hard truths about the world for the graduates, but also with some cold hard cash.
The approximately 1,200 graduates at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth each received an envelope with $1,000 from Hale and his wife Karen at their May 16 ceremony. The money, however, came with an interesting stipulation. The graduates are supposed to keep $500 for themselves, and donate the other $500 to charity or someone else in need.
“These trying times have heightened the need for sharing, caring and giving. Our community needs you and your generosity more than ever,” Robert Hale said. “The greatest joys in life that we have experienced have come from giving. We want to share that gift of giving with you today.”
Generosity is needed at all times, not just right now. And as always, the more we give, the more we get out of life. Of course, not everyone has the means to hand out $1,000 envelopes, but all generosity, within the bounds of what we’re capable of, can have a meaningful impact on the world around us.
And of course, it isn’t just the guest speakers who dole out good advice during graduation season. Student speakers also tend to have meaningful insight for their peers — like Alexis Petty, who graduated from UMass-Dartmouth this year with a degree in physics.
“Remember, even in moments of uncertainty, the willingness to take risks can lead to unexpected doors opening,” Petty told her fellow graduates, according to Dartmouth Week. “Embrace the journey, celebrate your achievements and never underestimate the power of your own potential.”
That includes the power of everyone’s potential to give to those around them. The Hales have provided an important lesson for these graduates, along with some cash. And with the attention that their gift has generated, it is a message they have successfully shared with the rest of us as well.