If you had unlimited resources, what political or social issue, or area of scientific or medical exploration would you fund? Do you have a cause that is near and dear to your heart that you'd put your time, energy, and money into if you had the means? Tell us about it, along with a bit of background explaining where you're coming from.
I thought hard about this one- there so many different things that come to mind when I think about causes or issues I would love to contribute to on a large scale. Imagining having unlimited resources and being able to help advance something I believe in is amazing- working on equal rights for everyone regardless of sexual orientation, clean water, autism research, arts in schools...I feel like anyone would have a huge list full of things that matter to them or strike a chord. It's different for everyone and it's hard to put one idea over another, because they're all so important, but my mind always goes first to the same place- cancer research.
In my lifetime I've been affected by cancer many times- my Aunt passed away from ovarian cancer, my Grandpa and Uncle had colon cancer, my Mom survived breast cancer, and I've had a few friends battle various types. It sounds so weird to list it out like that and to realize just how close to home cancer has been. It almost feels silly to say "help cancer research," because there are so many different kinds and I don't even know how you would go about doing so, but if things were as simple as this week's prompt makes it sound, then I would just say here, take it all and CURE IT. I wish.
There are other issues too, that perhaps aren't as pressing as something like cancer or AIDS research, but still are things I think about often. One of the areas I'd also love to focus on would be early language learning and literacy programs for children. Even as a high school teacher I saw issues with illiteracy, and it would be great to work towards making sure all kids regardless of where they come from are in a position to learn to read from the start. Another in the same educational vein would be arts in classrooms. I have great memories of the art and music classes we'd have everyday in elementary school and it's a shame that this isn't always the case in all schools these days. A lot of children don't have the means or support to supplement these things outside of the classroom once the programs are cut, so either working on getting them back in the schools, or or creating/supporting community-based programs would be great.
This was a little harder than last week- it's difficult to really narrow it down to one or two major issues and then to talk about them without sounding like I'm answering a Miss America question, but it was good, and a good reminder to think outside of the comfortable bubble I live in. It also made me realize that there are a lot of things I could be doing to help or work on issues I care about, and I should look at ways to do so.
So, that my response for this week. How about yours? Share a blurb and a link below if you'd like to participate!
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