“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead

Twenty-five years ago, a mysterious plague gripped America’s big-city gay ghettos. There were no answers and there was little help for the afflicted. People were frightened, people got sick quickly, and people died. No one knew what to do.

A group of thoughtful and committed San Franciscans saw a need and a way to help.

The fund began in 1982 in co-founder Rick Booth’s living room, where a handful of people, including Booth and the late Walter Mellon, gathered to discuss what they could do to help those living with the newly-identified disease.

“We were hearing of people getting fired from their jobs because they were sick,” said Booth…. “We thought, ‘this shouldn’t be happening. These people should be able to stay and receive treatment.’ It’s bad enough to have a horrible disease without being put out on the street.”

“The idea was to collect pennies, as many as they could, and from all sources,” remembered Conway, who attended the first meeting in Booth’s living room.

Since that meeting in 1982, the AIDS Emergency Fund has made small, life-affirming grants to thousands of individuals to enable them to pay their rent, keep their heat on, or travel home to attend a parent’s funeral. This year, this incredible organization, started by thoughtful, committed citizens, will achieve 25 years of service as it reaches a milestone of granting $25 million dollars in emergency financial assistance to San Franciscans with HIV/AIDS.

Never doubt.

Christy told us this morning about another organization, started much more recently by a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens, to meet a need. The founders of Our Military Kids

are committed to ensuring that children of Reserve and National Guard military have the opportunity to participate in sports, fine arts, and tutoring programs during periods of their parents’ deployment and recovery from severe injury. They believe that children of military should be encouraged and recognized for doing the right things during this time of uncertainty by maintaining a focus on school, staying active, getting involved in rewarding activities, and coping with the challenges the absence of a parent brings.

How much have these thoughtful, committed citizens accomplished in a short time?

Started in McLean in 2005, the organization has delivered more than $600,000 to the children of deployed National Guard and reserves parents in chunks no greater than $500. Payments have reached children in all 50 states, the District and Puerto Rico.

In Ohio alone, grants have paid for lessons in swimming, dance, cheerleading, martial arts, piano, football, acting, bowling, softball and driver’s education. The money may not stretch far, but children, parents and National Guard officers say the cash often makes a critical difference at a time when many kids feel needy.

And how did these founders get started? One woman heard about the wife of a deployed National Guardsman who worked at their two family businesses and had to take out a second mortgage to pay for their children’s special needs schooling and cheerleader training.

As Kruzel, 53, said, “We just thought, ‘This isn’t right.’ “


Never doubt.

Another example of a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens who’ve changed the world? Early Money Is Like Yeast:

In 1985, 25 women, rolodexes in hand, gathered in Ellen Malcolm’s basement to send letters to their friends about a network they were forming to raise money for pro-choice Democratic women candidates. These “founding mothers” pioneered a new concept in fundraising: a donor network that would provide its members with information about candidates and encourage them to write checks directly to the candidates they choose.

As hard as it is to believe today, these founders faced this political landscape in 1985:

At that time, no Democratic woman had been elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right, no woman had been elected governor of a large state, and the number of Democratic women in the U.S. House of Representatives had declined. Frustrated by the barriers that prevented women from making it to the top political offices, these women founded EMILY’s List to elect more women to the House and Senate, and as governors.

Never doubt.

Finally, to prove it’s possible be thoughtful and committed citizens while looking **fabulous** at the same time, I bring you The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, begun in San Francisco in 1979 by three men who put on nuns’ habits to change their world for the better.

In October [1980] the city saw its first fundraiser with Sisterly flair: a bingo/disco benefit for gay Cuban refugees. So many people turned out for the event that a second seating had to be thrown together to accommodate all of the bingo players. After four cards had been played, everything was moved to one side and the disco ball began to spin. This marked one of the largest fundraisers by a small community organization: over $1,500 raised in one evening.

Twenty-seven years later, the Mother House in San Francisco has raised and distributed over one million dollars, directly granted to non-profit organizations that serve the queer and sex positive community.

Additionally, other Houses and Missionary Orders expiate stigmatic guilt and bring joy, serving their communities’ needs in Seattle, Los Angeles, Tennessee, Iowa, Chicago, Pennsylvania, New York City, the Russian River, San Diego, Eureka, Palm Springs, Orlando, Phoenix, St Louis, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, Portland and throughout the world in Australia, Colombia, France, Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Uraguay.

Never doubt.

(video of David Bowie performing Sense of Doubt, Dallas 1978)

Related posts:

  1. Sunday Late Night: We’ve Got a Rep for That!
  2. Biden on Iran: ‘Some Real Doubt’ About The Electoral Outcome
  3. Sunday Late Night: Tiny Chamber Music
  4. Sunday Late Night: Let Her, Man
  5. Sunday Late Night: I want my MDTV!