I have big plans (after I take a little breather). I want my family to raise enough money to dig a well in Africa. After concentrating so hard on keeping our schools up to par in an upper-middle class, rich (by the world's standards) city, I am acutely reminded of our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world who don't have clean water, and often spend the majority of their day fetching water from a disease infested water-source. While my kids have the privilege of good schools, warm meals, new shoes, over-abundance of toys, and 2 parents, there are so many kids who are orphaned, sick, and don't even have a chance at life. Access to clean water can literally give a person life. A well, can give a VILLAGE life.
My deepest desire would be to see my own town of Pleasanton, who has pulled together as a community to help save our schools, to have that same passion to save lives of children they have never met. I would love to see our school Valley View sponsor a town about the same size of our school community, and build a relationship with them. Fundraise to improve their living conditions, provide food for the hungry and medicine for the sick. I think it would be amazing for our kids to connect with someone across the globe, to help someone with basic human needs. I'm fully aware that this doesn't solve the bigger problem of why these people are in such desperate poverty, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't help them.
Right now this will be a family effort. If you see my family and I on the side of the road selling lemonade you will know why. Hopefully one day this will be a school effort. And in my biggest dream of dreams this would be a city-wide effort.
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