The first internship I had was with the ACLU. Of course dad had everything to do with that, as he was Director for Western Kansas and Eastern Missouri. Dad was always very involved in politics, as a citizen of the United States. He might have complained about the state of things from time to time, but most of all if there was something he didn’t like, he took action. We all came together as a family to call constituents during elections, urging people to go to the polls. He was always fighting for what he believed in and it was a value that I embraced. Whether it was planning my high school’s Earth Day celebration, writing letters to the editor of the Overland Park Sun and Kansas City Star or ultimately making the decision to start praciticing Buddhism, I’ve tried to remain active in the community and fight like dad did for things he believed in.
Dad was my hero and has always been a tremendous force in my life, long before he got sick. Since he passed, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about ways in which I can honor him. One of the ideas that I came up with the other day was to start a blog dedicated to taking action. The site is called Action for Everyone. Its purpose is to motivate people to take action and get involved. It will show people that doing simple things, often taking less than a few minutes, can make a difference. No matter what your beliefs are, Action for Everyone will encourage people to get involved.
I want your help. If there’s an issue that you feel strongly about, be it consumer oriented, poltical, social or whatever, I want to hear about it. Tell me what you’re doing to support the issues, people and beliefs you hold. Perhaps you can contribute if you’ve been looking for an opportunity to take action. Get involved. Take Action.
The site launched very quietly yesterday and is in beta now (hey, what isn’t). My goal is to write an entry each day and over the coming weeks start getting other people involved. We’ll have guest editorials, contests and cool features on people that are taking action all over the world. Feel free to email me with your thoughts and ideas.
