ACT1: Unorthodox, But Here We Go

I wanted to shadow the founder of Heifer International, but as part of my research I found that the organization is older than I thought. *blushes*

For those of you unfamiliar with Heifer International, the organization donates animals to low income and impoverished families around the globe in order to create a sustainable improvement in their lives. Here’s the website for more details:

http://www.heifer.org/

(Aside from being a really neat charity, there is something fun about telling your friends that you bought them honey bees or part of a llama or a duck for their birthday and then explaining that, no, they will not have to take care of a llama. Be careful though, some people do want llamas and you don’t want to disappoint them.)

The man who founded Heifer International, originally Heifers for Relief, was Dan West. His brainwave came from distributing limited food supplies to children in the Spanish Civil War, frustrated with not having enough milk for everyone. His famous quote is “These children don’t need a cup, they need a cow.” The first cows left for new homes in 1944 and the organization has grown exponentially. I cannot find a huge amount of information on him, although there is a biography:

http://www.amazon.com/Passing-Gift-Story-Brethren-Biographies/dp/08...

So, for ACT 1 I will be following Heifer International at their website and on twitter . . . and as a part two of Act 1 I'm going to add Patrick Rothfuss.

Patrick Rothfuss is a fantasy author, whose debut novel, “The Name of the Wind”, is a New York Times best seller. For an aspiring fantasy author like myself, that makes him awesome. But what did Mr. Rothfuss do while working on the sequel?

http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/2009/12/worldbuilders-2009.html

He hosted a fundraiser for Heifer International. He got other authors involved, fans involved, and raised $128,926 in 2009. Although fundraising is not his life’s work, not his job so to speak, he got involved and made a significant contribution, activating his own community for a cause. It was not a small undertaking:

http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/labels/Heifer%20International.html

So, I’ll be following Patrick Rothfuss on Facebook and his blog. And I may have the chance to go see him speak in the next few weeks.

I picked him as a hero to remind me that we can do more than one thing at a time. We can keep the world in mind and work on personal futures. Mr. Rothfuss is in a unique position, yes, but it wouldn’t occur to most people there, and it doesn’t occur to many capable individuals.

I guess that many people on this network want to work full time as social innovators, and also that a lot of us have day jobs and other passions as well. We are multitasking just by playing EVOKE, one more aspect of complex identities – students, teachers, parents, partners, workers, and now EVOKE agents.

It can be discouraging to look at the world and our lives and feel like we aren’t doing enough, can’t do enough, to help the world. At least, I know I feel that way sometimes. But we need the other stuff too – the night when we watch silly movies and aren’t productive, yoga in the morning, making music for yourself and yes, the job that pays the bills.

I need to write fantasy, but it doesn’t feed anyone or build houses. (Someday I really hope it might feed me. Just a little, I don’t eat too much.) It’s a passion. So is working to break human apathy about global issues.

I think I can do both.