"I don't believe in reincarnation," said English actor Shane Richie, "and I didn't believe in it when I was a hamster." Regardless of one's beliefs about the afterlife, there is certainly something to be said for making the most of the one life we definitely do have. Two compatriots, separated by generations, provide fine examples in this regard by embracing challenges and helping others. In 1946, Émile Cornilleau founded a woodworking company in Bonneuil-les-Eaux, a township in the north of France. The carpenter spent a generation making windows and doors to help rebuild his war-torn homeland, at the same time building a reputation as a fine and honest craftsman. In the autumn of 1969, Cornilleau accepted a challenge from a desperate department store. Could he deliver 300 ping-pong tables in time for Christmas? Sure, he said. Porquois pas? With the order completed, Cornilleau surveyed the market. With leisure in vogue, he decided to go all-in on ping-pong tables. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, the Cornilleau company produces 80,000 tables per year, shipped to 80 countries. Under their founder Émile and continuing with current CEO Michel Zany, the Cornilleau company works to minimize its environmental impact while maximizing its positive impact, sponsoring charitable organizations and table tennis programs around the world. In 2006, Cornilleau's countrywoman Sarah Hanffou (pictured) also accepted a challenge, one she posed to herself: Could she use table tennis to make the world a better place? The answer was yes, and the result was Ping sans Frontières, a non-profit in the spirit of Doctors Without Borders. Hanffou, who has played for both her native France and her ancestral homeland of Cameroon, has won international recognition for using table tennis as a means to promote education, especially for children in developing nations. These fearless francophone innovators, Cornilleau and Hanffou, have now joined forces to help both the environment and youth education. The "Des plaques pour tous" (Plates for all) program aims to redirect used sponge rubber from French table tennis clubs to children in Ghana and Burundi. "There, the coating is expensive and sports stores are rare," explains Hanffou. "The partner clubs, leagues and committees will send the collected coverings to Cornilleau," says Hanffou. Cornilleau has created special collection boxes, already collecting bouncing ballots in 58 table tennis clubs in France's Oise region. "We are counting on the spirit of solidarity of this sport and on our players to make it work," reads a statement from the Cornilleau company. As American actress Christina Ricci once said, "I think reincarnation is possible. Hopefully, we all get recycled." Thanks to Sarah Hanffou and Cornilleau, the once-discarded "plates" of rubber will indeed get another life, bringing joy to children in Africa. Whether or not any of them ever go pro like Sarah Hanffou, many will certainly continue to play throughout their lives. As the children grow older and get new equipment, they will surely remember how they got their first rackets and be inspired to give back to the program. Thus, the wheel keeps on spinning around and around forever. Just ask your friendly neighborhood hamster.

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