I’ve been commuting a lot more. Every Monday morning I hop in the car and start with my favorite podcast, This American Life. (Short aside, I got into this show because of piece I posted about here). Three weeks ago I heard the first of a two part series on Harper High School. To say I was moved is a catastrophic understatement.
This American Life chose Harper because they were in their home city of Chicago and last year there 28 shooting incidents with current and former students. The stories of the lives of the students is a strong juxtaposition with my own childhood. They are forced into gangs that are about protection, not crime. The school is the place they feel most safe. And it has been under a special grant to provide great services for these kids. The grant is ending next year, and many of the support positions will be losing funding. They are collecting donations to support these kids.
I did the math with some friends. If two of my friends pay 5 dollars, and two of their friends pay 5 dollars, and the cycle continues, we would only need to have 18 exchanges to raise 200,000 people. If they each payed me $5, we would have $1,000,000.
Please donate $5 or more, and pass on the link.
If you still need convincing, go listen to the PodCast, it’s tough, but worth it.