Goal

I Think I Can Live Without Trash!

What does live without trash mean?

For the length of my fundraising campaign for At The Crossroads I will practice helping the earth and our community by not producing any trash that goes to a landfill. If something cannot be recycled, composted or reused, I wont buy it or consume it. I will make every attempt to reuse things in addition to or instead of recylcing them.

Where's the fun in that?

Everywhere! In addition to the obvious benefit of learning not to be a globe-littering consumaholic, this challenge opens the door for lots of fun and creative activities. Reuse has endless possibilities, and I'll enlist the help of my friends and local artists to have a good time with the many things that I wont be throwing into the garbage.

I chose this goal because

I wanted to learn something, help the community and raise funds for ATC all in one fell swoop!

How will supporters follow along?

I'll post regular updates including stories of my attempts to work around trash, tips on how everyone can clean up their act in little ways everyday and fun facts I find along the way.

How can you help?

First and foremost, donate! The I Think I Can Campaign is an important fundraiser for ATC, and they can't do their great work without your donations. Second, communicate. Share your ideas, experiences, encouragement or jokes about wacky San Franciscans trying to save the world from trash :)

I'm helping because

"We pass through this world but once. Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life, few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope, by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identified as lying within." This passage from the late Stephen Jay Gould has been one of my favorites since I read it in his book The Mismeasure of Man nearly 10 years ago.

I believe every young person deserves an opportunity to strive and to hope. I also believe we all need someone to believe in us during the hard times in our lives. At The Crossroads is an amazing organization with compassionate, nonjudgmental values and a worthwhile mission that is based entirely on believing in their clients and giving them the support they need to have a chance at building the life they want. ATC cares about the young people that they serve and the private donors that keep ATC funded care about them too. Without forcing ideologies, cookie-cutter rules and canned goals on young people, ATC reaches out to underserved homeless youth in San Francisco and helps them not only meet their needs but also realize their dreams. There are few causes I can think of that are more worthwhile.

After volunteering with ATC a few times I was able to get a feel for the kindness and passion that they have for this cause, which I found so compelling that I am now working with them regularly as an intern on this campaign. So please extend your support and give ATC and their clients the resources they need to strive and to hope by making a donation today.