“You may say I’m a dreamer/But I’m not the only one.” John Lennon wrote those words 40 years ago, and yet I still believe their impact is as important today as it was back in 1971.
Recently the president of the United States challenged the country during his State of the Union address to remember the power of American resolve. He encouraged us all to think about our challenges and address them with vision, hope and community strength. He said all this, and more, in just five simple words:
“We do big things.”
Oh yes we do, Mr. President.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I know the realities that face each and every one of us during what feels like years of bad news, endless bills, and ongoing thoughts of “will this ever end?” But here’s what I know about our community here in Washington, D.C. that some people who live elsewhere don’t know:
We are a community of neighborhoods, families and friends, not just a place where politicians from around the country come to work and debate about the challenges that face our nation. Our challenge? Not to forget that some of those challenges are right here in our city. Our city. Washington, D.C.
So I would like for us to take on the challenge of our president, and make it real here in Washington. As executive director of Street Sense, I am focusing this energy on our mission and impact. I would like to ask you to join in this with me and our super staff, volunteers, and board.
Let’s address the challenge of homelessness head on. We here at Street Sense know our program is effective. Let’s find a way to grow it, allow for more vendors to participate, expand our “impact footprint”, and increase the help that we provide to the residents and communities of Washington, D.C. Six thousand of our fellow community members are homeless. With your help, in the form of a little financial support plus a little elbow grease, we can begin to reduce that number. We move our vendors closer to financial independence by first grounding them in the core belief that working with an entrepreneurial spirit is better for them financially, gives them greater confidence, and provides a service by educating the community about homelessness and poverty issues. Imagine our community taking a collective stand against homelessness and saying, “This should not happen anywhere in America, and especially here in our nation’s capital.”
But how do we do this?
Help us build our capacity. Ask your employer to consider partnering with our organization. Look to advertise in our paper. Create a day where a percentage of your sales go to support our mission. Trust me, we will be sure to shout from the rooftops how impactful our partnerships are, and we will be grateful for your willingness to “do big things.”
“You may say I’m a dreamer/But I’m not the only one.”
I know you’re out there. And I know you want to “do big things” too. Let’s go.
That’s my two cents.
