Changing the Present

We are living in a material world. It's true! This life is all about buying things for ourselves and for others. But what if, instead of getting your friend a gag gift, or a new purse that they really don't need, what if you got them 100 vaccines for children around the world? I found this great website: www.changingthepresent.org They have TONS of gifts that you can give, from vaccines for kids, to classes that teach parents in 3rd world countries life skills, to giving people medicine for HIV.


The best part about this site is that there are gifts for every budget. All you poor college kids listen up! For $26, you can give 3 bed nets to protect people from malaria carrying mosquitos. For $25, you can give a child malnutrition treatment. For $27, you can provide measles vaccines to 100 children. Yes, 100. And for just $10, you can provide one trachoma surgery that can end trachiasis, a painful and debilitating eye problem, and stop the progression to blindness. They have gifts for pretty much every cause your friend or family member could be interested in!

How awesome would it be to give your friend who crusades for women's health a certificate for 2 weeks of transportation to get women in rural villages the medical care, such as helping with childbirth, they need?

What about that friend in special education? How cool would it be to tell her that you donated sign-language books to families in Africa with deaf
children so that they can communicate with one another? One only costs $2 by the way.

Got a friend who is all about protecting animals and their environment? You can adopt a Snowy Owl for only $25!!

The possibilities are endless! And YOU have the power!! If we, the young people of this country, say we want to make a difference, we have to start somewhere. And why not now?

Hope

because we could all use a little hope...


"Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence."

Beauty

Sometimes we get so caught up in everything we have to do, we lose sight of what we are doing it for. We forget that the reason we are music majors is because we love it. We forget that there is something outside these university walls, something outside the classroom.

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”

–Ashley Smith