May 11, 2007

Walking Art


It started back in February, when I received a brochure publicizing the dates of the annual Hillcrest Walk for the Homeless. I asked Kaylea if she’d be interested in riding her bike again, just like the past 2 years. She started asking questions about how walking raised money for the homeless, and declared that she wanted to raise her own money to help friends find homes.

This led to Kaylea’s Art Show at Honkerbean’s, which raised some $525—and an awareness that the generations after me are willing to invest themselves in causes greater than themselves.

We live in a time where there are great and grave injustices around the world: sex trafficking, slavery, hunger, poverty, water, etc. There is a stirring among the teens and twenties to reverse these injustices, to use their gifts, voices, and lives to crash the gates of hell with the hope of heaven. Here are some of the stories:

A 7th grader starts a campaign and writes a book to address slavery around the world—Loose Change 2 Loosen Chains.

www.theamazingchange.com/lc2lc.html

The One Campaign and DATA with Bono as its leading voice and advocate (check out this clip from the NAACP Awards).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENp7c6TtBHk

Blake Mycoskie and TOMS (Tomorrow’s) shoes—starting a shoe company and giving away a pair of shoes for every pair he sells.

www.tomsshoes.com

NightLight Bangkok—giving ladies a chance to earn a reputable and safe living through making jewelry.

www.nightlightbangkok.com/

There is great synergy and hope in giving. My generation has been pegged as one of the most selfish generations in history. I’m thankful that those younger than me are willing to take the risk to find creative ways to bring justice into this world, and ultimately, to share life.

2 comments:

Katy and Joseph said...

Great picture of Kaylea!

Stacey said...

Great links--I will definitely keep these for when I need to get a nice gift, the jewelery at Bangkok are amazing!