The prompt asks me to tell the story of why im fundraising. frankly, i don’t know that we need a story to do the right thing. the fact that we even need fundraising, or global grassroots efforts to protect a people’s ability to eat and drink water, while they and their loved ones experience terrors we can’t even imagine. how anyone can sit idle begs me to wonder how bodies can move without hearts. it got to a point where my frustration and sadness need to be channeled into something meaningful. i needed to refocus on the voices and spirits that have been neglected for far too long, for generations, these marginalized narratives deserve to be amplified, uplifted, listened to.. and its hard to speak when you’re to hungry to do anything, or too speechless in grief loss and sorrow to tell others you need help anymore. it’s been over a year of extremely sickening predation on these People. some/most of which are children. i can’t imagine my younger sisters or brothers being trapped in a space the size of my county district, relentlessly preyed upon and neglected. to the point where they’re wishing for a peaceful end in any form. children. praying for the long sleep, because drones and sad news and fear have gotten too much for their minds to even accept, let alone process. my story is negligible.. this story, a world that sits idly by, is why i feel compelled to do something. my heart still beats, i can’t not try to make a positive impact. i can’t just do nothing. i won’t be complicit. thank you for feeling the same, if you do. - Brendan a.