Goal

I have joined a group of brave souls who are raising money for a great cause by accepting a very special challenge- giving up Facebook for an entire month! I was invited to take on this daring feat of mental strength by At the Crossroads, a non-profit group in San Francisco that helps homeless youth to build better lives. They do tremendous work with the young people they serve and I am eager to help them by making this bold claim: For one month, I will steadfastly resist Facebook's siren call, not updating anything, not looking at anyone's status, not even liking anything, (except in a non-Facebook way). It will require nerves of steel, no doubt, but with your support and encouragement, I'm sure I'll be able to tough my way through it. Will I miss logging on to the familiar blue page? Maybe, maybe not- I'm curious to find out.

You know what, as a further challenge, if I can make my fundraising goal or more, I'll even be willing to give it up for two months. Two months! Just think, you'll be able to poke me, unfriend me, Photoshop my face into a compromising photo and then tag me, send me 100 requests to join Whateverville, even claim that "it's complicated" with me, and I will be helpless, unknowing, unable to respond or retaliate until August! Oh, and if you donate-any amount- and you tell me your address, I'll go super low-tech and send you snail mail as a thank-you. If you donate $20 or more, I'll even send you a homemade art postcard. It'll be fun, and your donations go straight to At the Crossroads to help better serve their clients.

I chose this goal because

Facebook has its finer points, it's true. I enjoy seeing photos of far-away friends and family. I also enjoy having the chance to track down long-lost buddies from different important stages of my life, or not lose track of more recent ones when one or the other of us moves away. On the other hand, as I'm sure you'll agree, Facebook is ADDICTIVE! I think a break will be nice, and leave me with some extra time on my hands this summer, when I really need to be focused on new things in my own life. Plus, I am, as anyone who knows me well can attest, a huge fan of low-tech and more personal over high-tech and impersonal. Last but not least, I thought it would be a fun and light-hearted way to support a group that I really care about and whose values I share.

I'm helping because

I first became acquainted with At the Crossroads from volunteering with them through One Brick. I had heard good things and wanted to check it out. My only regret is not going for that first volunteer night sooner- I was hooked right away. Our volunteer nights are fun events, but where we help accomplish a serious mission. We help prepare hygiene supply kits, snack bags, etc. that are then used as tools for the At the Crossroads staff to interact with and get to know homeless teenagers and twenty-somethings in the Mission and Tenderloin districts of San Francisco. What's special about their outreach approach is that there is no agenda. The young people who they serve are not obligated to do anything in return for the supplies or help they receive. They can decide whether to accept help, or wait until a sense of trust has been built up first. They can participate in any services they choose- drug/alcohol treatment, housing support, job support, etc.- on their own terms, without being required to conform to any sort of requirements or expectations. This way, they are able to help many people who would not typically respond well to more traditional programs.