I believe we would agree that we all make a difference in some way or another. The difference could be a negative or it could be a positive. It’s still a difference.
Passionate people tend to want to make that difference so that the world can be a better place. Remember Hands Across America on Sunday, May 25, 1986? It was a publicity campaign intended to raise money for charities (USA for Africa) and it ended up with nearly 5.5 million participants and raising about $20 million. That’s a lot of money and a lot of people.
The event actually got shorted somewhere around $35 million. People were supposed to donate $10 to participate. That’s 3.5 million people who didn’t donate but were participating anyway. That’s 3,645.8 miles worth of people who didn’t donate. The event was shorted more than it benefitted. How’s that for making a difference?
Had the 5.5 million hand-interlocked people formed one continuous chain, it would have stretched across the 48 contiguous US states. There were many breaks in the chain but the event was still declared a success. In my area (Southern Indiana), we stood in the rain, sang the song and were happy doing it. The Indianapolis 500 (same day) was rained out. We were one of the only areas in the entire country that did not have a celebrity somewhere in the chain. Jim Neighbors was just up the road a piece ready to sing Back Home Again in Indiana at the Speedway.
If you were one of those that held a stranger’s hand in the human chain but didn’t make your donation, you still can. Visit www.usaforafrica.org to do the right thing. There are plenty of folks who could really put to good use the missing $35 million.
GO DO!™
by Tony Wolfe
www.TonyWolfe.com
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