While volunteering as the Co-Director of the Social Justice Initiative, I have worked with and met many amazing people who had taught me valuable lessons. There is only one person that stands out in my mind when I think of the greatest lesson that I learned from someone else: a homeless lady called Anna Makarenko. A derelict living in the Downtown Eastside, Anna was plagued by drug addiction, begging for spare change on the streets of Vancouver. Anna was the person who changed my whole perspective on the homeless people. On a dark and dreary night, my volunteer group went down to Hasting Street to hand out food and clothing which was where I first met Anna. I vividly remember that night when she asked whether if we had gloves to hand out. Unfortunately, we gave our last pair to someone else. Understanding that she really needed gloves, I offered my own gloves to her. Yet, to my surprise, Anna declined my offer, stating that she does not want to take something that personally belonged to someone else. Because of Anna’s mature, and quite frankly, magnanimous act, the greatest lesson that I learned from someone else was that not all homeless people are avaricious, relying on the charity from other people. Thus, due to this lesson that I learned from Anna, I realized the indomitable spirit and resilience that most derelicts possess.