"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind." - Bertrand Russell
My Inspiration
Thirteen years ago, at the age of sixteen, I was hooked on a little ditty by the name of "MMMbop" by a band named Hanson. Throughout the years their music has been with me at every major step of my life and all those in between. They have always been an inspiration to me through their music and now, through their "Take The Walk" campaign, which is fighting poverty and AIDS in Africa, they have inspired me by the leaders and great men they have become.
Ever since my son was born (almost 3 years ago) I have had a bigger place in my heart for all children. I am constantly saddened by the world and the terrible things I see/hear happening all around me every day. I wish I could save all the children in need. Help them if they are sick. Now, through "Take The Walk", maybe I can make a difference for at least for some.
In Nashville, TN, October 2009, I joined the band in a one-mile barefoot walk through the rain and cold. My feet became numb, but my heart was on fire. That experience, to know for one instant what it's like for someone without something as simple as a pair of shoes, changed me. I learned the organizations on the ground over in Africa are really getting things done. Free The Children is building schools, Blood: Water Mission is drilling clean water wells, TOMS Shoes is providing shoes, Docvia is providing access to health care, and PHRU is providing medicine to stop the cycle of HIV/AIDS. When we walk, the the campaign donates $1 on our behalf for each person that walks to support one of the five causes of our choosing. Real change is being made. It is not just empty promises.
I am thankful that my family and I have access to health care in this country and that I had a safe pregnancy and a healthy child. On an every day basis it is easy to forget and take for granted what we have here in the United States (shoes on our feet, clean water, easy access to education). Even though there is poverty in the U.S., it doesn't even compare to Africa where so many live on less than $1 a day. The cost to save lives is: $6.50 a month for health care; $8500 for a school; $3000 for a clean water well; and a little over $1 a day so a pregnant mother who is HIV positive can receive medicine and a program that will save the life of her child.
Why have I chosen to help Africa through Hanson? There are so many organizations and people to help all over the world. In fact, my husband and I do help others. I feel most passionately about helping Hanson, whom I have supported almost half of my life. When I decided to take action, I thought, why not stick with those who have been with me, even if just musically, through the good times and the bad. It's not FOR them that I choose to help, but BECAUSE of them and the inspiration they have given me to be more, give more, and the knowledge that leadership isn't about position, it's about action. Even if all we have to give is our own two feet, we can still make a difference.
Ever since my son was born (almost 3 years ago) I have had a bigger place in my heart for all children. I am constantly saddened by the world and the terrible things I see/hear happening all around me every day. I wish I could save all the children in need. Help them if they are sick. Now, through "Take The Walk", maybe I can make a difference for at least for some.
In Nashville, TN, October 2009, I joined the band in a one-mile barefoot walk through the rain and cold. My feet became numb, but my heart was on fire. That experience, to know for one instant what it's like for someone without something as simple as a pair of shoes, changed me. I learned the organizations on the ground over in Africa are really getting things done. Free The Children is building schools, Blood: Water Mission is drilling clean water wells, TOMS Shoes is providing shoes, Docvia is providing access to health care, and PHRU is providing medicine to stop the cycle of HIV/AIDS. When we walk, the the campaign donates $1 on our behalf for each person that walks to support one of the five causes of our choosing. Real change is being made. It is not just empty promises.
I am thankful that my family and I have access to health care in this country and that I had a safe pregnancy and a healthy child. On an every day basis it is easy to forget and take for granted what we have here in the United States (shoes on our feet, clean water, easy access to education). Even though there is poverty in the U.S., it doesn't even compare to Africa where so many live on less than $1 a day. The cost to save lives is: $6.50 a month for health care; $8500 for a school; $3000 for a clean water well; and a little over $1 a day so a pregnant mother who is HIV positive can receive medicine and a program that will save the life of her child.
Why have I chosen to help Africa through Hanson? There are so many organizations and people to help all over the world. In fact, my husband and I do help others. I feel most passionately about helping Hanson, whom I have supported almost half of my life. When I decided to take action, I thought, why not stick with those who have been with me, even if just musically, through the good times and the bad. It's not FOR them that I choose to help, but BECAUSE of them and the inspiration they have given me to be more, give more, and the knowledge that leadership isn't about position, it's about action. Even if all we have to give is our own two feet, we can still make a difference.
