A Sad State of Affairs

I am lucky enough to work for a school that is a host for a Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. Anything having to do with the Cancer Society is something near and dear to me. I lost my grandma to cancer (after she battled it three different times), my grandpa battled it, my mom and I both had biopsies done (mine when I was only 20) and a few of my friends have suffered through it. So, when it comes to supporting research and rallying others to donate money for research, I am all over it. Last year the school raised over $1000 in three days by selling cards to the kids for a dollar each. These cards were all hung in our cafeteria and we even had a banner go to Washington, DC. The teachers organizing the event were overwhelmed by the generosity of the students and staff, so the same idea was tried this year...

And the result was much, much different...

After nearly a week and a half of selling cards, the committee raised a little over $500...we have 1500 students and 65 faculty members and they only got $500. When I would ask my students to spare a dollar, many acted like I was going to break them--all the while wearing their Abercrombie shirts, texting on their $200 cell phones and listening to their i-pod Nanos. Then it hit me--this is not something that will impact them immediately, so they don't think it matters.

I have found that some kids often have a very shortsighted view--they can't see beyond today. So, by living in the moment, they are abandoning the opportunity to affect the future. It seems that material gratification is all that matters to some people today. When beginning the fundraiser some students even asked what they got if they brought in a dollar. What do you get? The self satisfaction of knowing that you helped a cause that affects the lives of millions of people each year...

But I guess that isn't good enough.