I’m not Mother Teresa, but I try to affect positive change when I can. And this is a time when I can. When I decided to do this huge cross-country trip, I figured I’d get a lot of attention on a unicycle. I might as well convert that attention into positive energy. It’s not so much me being generous as motivating others towards generosity. Half of proceeds support my choice of charities, the other half keeps me unicycling and planning further events for charity.
I’m an artist, and I strongly believe that arts education is important to kids. For one, it has been proven to help them in other areas (like science and math). Unfortunately those other areas, considered more legitimate, have come to the fore as more important subjects. Along the way, arts programs in the US and abroad have been reduced or removed. That’s why one of my charities is the International Child Art Foundation.
I’m a nature-lover. By that, I don’t mean that I only like going to parks and looking up at the sun’s light filtering through the leaves of the trees (though I do enjoy this). I mean that I, like an intelligent and respectable human being, recognize the absolute necessity of nature, and it’s well-being. It demands our respect and stewardship, if for no other reason than for the return on our own well-being as humans. Everyone loves parks and grass and visiting beautiful places on time off, let’s connect that admiration to a concrete and proactive respect for our surroundings. That’s why one of my charities is Greenpeace.
I’m only human. At any point in my day-to-day hustle and bustle, bad things can happen to me or people I love. Cancer is one of those things. While I’m lucky enough, along with most of my living relatives, not to have been affected by it, I understand its pervasiveness. And as much as I’d like to support a cancer charity that “seeks the cure,” I know we are a long way off. Also, I would rather focus on the positive side of things, like being able to enjoy life during treatment. While leading a healthy lifestyle in a healthy environment usually wards off many cancers, healthy people do get cancer. The least we can do is help them pay the medical bills and support their creative pursuits. That’s why one of my charities is Sy’s Fund.
Spread the love! Click the button below to support me and my causes. Add your address when you donate, or email it to me – and I’ll send you a postcard during my trip. Thank you!
My newest addition (as of October 2014) is my program I’m calling “Get Out There.”
I have visited elementary schools in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and
British Columbia and given talks to the youngsters about my trip. I
inspire them to get out, get active, and eat green vegetables! I also
remind them that Anything is Possible with Practice, of which I am proof.
I hope to donate a learner unicycle to every school I visit, to be incorporated in their P.E. or before/after school programs.