Be the Change

[Storyteller.]

Be the Change
by Casey (Casey.)

Clean water. It's not something we often think about as we brush our teeth and take showers. Often, we don't even consider our luck as we drink a glass or bottle of it. We take these luxuries for granted, and many of us do not realize how blessed we really are. After all, we have food, shelter, and clean, safe drinking water. Unfortunately, many are not so lucky. Over a billion people go without these basics everyday. Even clean drinking water is a commodity many cannot afford, a commodity without which millions die every year. It's a sad epidemic, but it's real. Without water, nothing can survive, including us. With dirty water, there is life, but it is very dark and unsafe. Dirty water will keep people, and animals, alive, but it will also make them very sick. The majority of deaths in third world countries are from bad drinking water and malnutrition. Water covers 70% of the world, and yet many people do not have access to clean water.

So, why is this the news? Well, many people do not realize that around the world, even as you read this, someone is dying from not having clean water or food. You may think that this has nothing to do with you, but it does. One person, no matter how young, can make a difference in the life of another. December is known as the month of giving, but what if, this year, we tried something new? Instead of only giving to the bell ringers who come out in December, how about we give throughout the year? We can start making the change right away. Many of us do not have jobs, so we do not have ways to give money, except for one: fundraising, whether that be in the form of selling cookies for childhood cancer or donating your birthday to give a remote village clean water, every little bit counts.

This year, let's start something new. It does not even have to be far from home. If you can't help give someone the gift of water, maybe you can give someone the gift of friendship. Bullying is an epidemic in the world, but it is something else that we can change. If someone is being teased, put down, or hurt, maybe it's time that we stand up for them. Speak up, stand up, and change someone's life. This year, I only ask one simple thing of us all: let's be the change that we wish to see in this world. We are the future; let's make it great.