3 things you can do TODAY to help end poverty

15Oct08

 Today is Blog Action Day and this year’s mission is Poverty. This is a cause that has been important to me pretty much my whole life. As a small child, I would listen to the missionaries that occasionally came to my grandmother’s parish and I would get so upset to know that there were kids who didn’t have shoes, or an extra set of clothes, or books to read, or enough food to eat. I wanted to be a missionary too, back then, and single-handedly save the world. Well, I grew up to become an artist, not a missionary, but the longing to do *something* has never left me.

I know we’re living in the worse economic times of our lifetime. I know a lot of you are having a hard time making ends meet. And many of you are giving up on the dream of being full-time artists. So it may seem a little crazy that I’m about to ask you to take a stand on extreme poverty. But there are things that YOU can do TODAY that make a huge difference.

The one single easiest thing to do is join The ONE Campaign. This organization’s founding mission is as the campaign to end extreme poverty.  It’s totally non-partisan. It’s cool (hey, founded by Bono, so how could it NOT be cool?) And what’s more, it won’t cost you a dime. I hope you’ll consider adding your voice and sign the ONE Declaration today.

If you’re interested in something with an arts focus, I highly recommend Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP). With this non-profit, you as an artist are empowered to do as little as donate general cash (or even targeted cash for things like art supplies) or as much as serve as a volunteer artist teaching children in at-risk communities in India, Africa, & the US.  Art and artists CAN make a difference.

One final thing you might consider? Reblog this post. Write one of your own. Add your voice to the blogosphere if this is an issue you care about.

I thank you for your indulgence,

-Amie Gillingham

co-founder, EBSQ


Filed under: Howto, Inspiration, challenges   |  3 Comments
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3 Responses to “3 things you can do TODAY to help end poverty”  

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  1. 1 Ariane Goodwin on October 15, 2008 said:

    Hooray Amie!

    Action always beats the blues, so thank you for giving us the opportunity to be empowered.
    I’m heading right over to Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP).

    I’ve been down and out many times, and one thing I’ve always found to be true: even if it’s only a smidgeon, when I’m feeling the most stretched financially, I give some of what I don’t think I have to someone who I know has even less. It’s my “faith” card to the universe saying that I’m not going to buckle to fear.

    And I can’t help but respond to the comment in your post about “giving up on the dream of being full-time artists.” Waiting out a storm, financially or one with 80-mile-per-hr winds, does not mean you have to give up on your dream. It’s a temporary time-out that actually gives you space to dream even more. Or maybe, reshape, redraw the dream so you can remain juiced about life.

  2. 2 Amie Gillingham on October 15, 2008 said:

    Ariane said “And I can’t help but respond to the comment in your post about “giving up on the dream of being full-time artists.” Waiting out a storm, financially or one with 80-mile-per-hr winds, does not mean you have to give up on your dream. It’s a temporary time-out that actually gives you space to dream even more. Or maybe, reshape, redraw the dream so you can remain juiced about life.”

    I could not agree with this more. In times like these, it’s my opinion that art is more important that ever, both to the general public and to the artist creating it. It feeds the soul and keeps you going.

    Glad you’re stopping by ASTEP. I am so impressed with their mission and hope to work with them in an official capacity in the future!

  3. 3 Ann Murray on October 16, 2008 said:

    THANKS for posting the links, both look like great organizations.

    Annie