Be the Change
Posted on February 29th, 2016
Last week, I generously gave up a would-be pizza and movie date wild and crazy Saturday night to work at Seattle’s JDRF Dream Gala. It is a spectacular event, with 1,000 generous donors filling the Sheraton Hotel downtown to raise $3 million for type one diabetes research in a single night. These kinds of interactions are so inspiring– seeing people work so hard for causes about which they feel so passionately is invigorating.
While the event was black tie, volunteers were instructed to wear simple black cocktail dresses. The theme for the event was Old Hollywood: Spotlight on a Cure, so I couldn’t resist a touch of theme dressing with a Lilly Pulitzer favorite.
I also couldn’t resist fueling up with a double espresso on my way to the event. I wanted to make sure I was at my perkiest and most cheerful for interacting with our donors!
JDRF is the world’s largest nongovernmental funder of type one diabetes research, and it is a cause that is so near and dear to my heart. My little brother, Turner, was diagnosed with T1D in 2004, and several of my cousins also battle the disease. Seeing them grapple with not only daily disease management but the stress and worry of the long term disease complications is heartbreaking, but I feel I have no choice but to channel that into working for treatments/prevention that improve the lives of everyone with T1D, and ultimately find a cure. I have found volunteering for JDRF over the past 11 years to be SO rewarding– and fun, too!
Volunteering is really, really important, particularly for every young, ambitious 20-something. We are told to focus on pushing ourselves, focus on our careers, etc. and while it definitely leads to important self-improvement, it can lead to a myopia bordering on narcissism, too. Finding a cause that you believe in and working to make a difference is a major reminder that there is something bigger out there. And there are so many incredible, inspirational movements to join and ways to get involved, even if you’re super busy. To throw out a few examples, I have friends who run marathons to fundraise for causes they believe in, or walk shelter dogs, or sit on committees that organize benefits for their favorite charity, or volunteer with political campaigns, or act as alumnae liaisons for their sorority.
Consider this an assignment. Figure out the change you would like to see in the world, and then figure out a way to be part of making that happen. If you need suggestions, shoot me an email! I’m always happy to be a sounding board to help you identify what makes your heart sing.
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