IMPACT

Making an Impact Day 1: Living “In Transition”

On Tuesday evening I went to the Drexel Theater with my friend Alli and Ryan Chitwood to see a free screening of film about sustainability and responsible living. The whole film can be found at the link Ryan posted if you are interested. The film focused on small towns and villages that are making the transition from oil based life styles. These communities are using alternatives to oil in their food, economy, transportation, and government. As Ryan said in his post, after the film we discussed the idea of an ODU community garden, and other ways ODU can make the transition.

Making an Impact Day 2: Opening the Door

On Wednesday, I made it a point to open the door for others when entering buildings, classrooms, the fitness center, etc. This is a very small gesture, but many people said thank you and flashed a smile. It is amazing how a small gesture can have a big impact on someone’s day.

Making an Impact Day 3: Lift the Ban

A friend and myself started lift the Ban as part of a class project regarding society and the common good in the fall of 2009. The initial project focused on the lifting of the ban on gay and lesbian individuals in the U.S Military and the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy. Lift the Ban now hopes to expand beyond that initial class project to raise awareness and fight other injustices in our society. Lift the Ban is an organization dedicated to eliminating social barriers and stigmas and ensuring equality for all people regardless of their sex, age, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Our generation has a responsibility to make the world we live in a place where all people from all different walks of life are respected and appreciated. I am currently booking shows for the Spring and Summer, and on Wednesday decided that a portion of the proceeds from these shows would go to Lift the Ban and The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Columbus chapter. The HRC is an organization that has made an impact on a lot of peoples lives, including mine.

Making an Impact Day 4:

We all make impacts every day whether they are large or small. Some days we make an impact on society, and sometimes we just make an impact in an individual’s life. Recently a close friend of mind and I had a serious argument that resulted in our not speaking to each other. Today I decided to break the silence. This decision made an impact on our friendship. It hopefully proves to be a positive one.