Day 091-92 – 8/23-24/11 Grand Junction Rest Days

People Met = 12

Our stay in Grand Junction was devoted to three talks I gave.  It was also supposed to be a time to catch up with web stuff.  We figured there would be no better place to use wifi than a university, but we were wrong.  We had to be sponsored by a faculty member.  That was not a problem, both Chad and Ryan from the outdoor program were more than willing to sponsor us, but they couldn’t get us connected.  I got a little work done at a coffee shop.

There we met Dave, who took an interest in our journey and message.  The idea of communities helping each other through hard times resonated with him because he occasionally experienced hard times — work was not always a sure thing, though he was doing fine at the moment.  He treated us to coffee and a sandwich and vowed to come to our “Wednesday Night Wanderings” talk.

Dave Murillo

The Lions talk went well as usual, but I felt a little sheepish about it.  Grand Junction is one Lions Club that is not desperate for young members.  They raise in the neighborhood of $150,000 a year for the many projects they benefit, the most funds raised by any Lions Club in the country.  You could see at the meeting why they are so vibrant:  they have neat traditions such as bringing something back for the Club when they are away traveling; and they have fun joking and needling each other.  Like all Lions Clubs they could take to heart my message than we need to look for ways to do things with people as well as for them, but otherwise I felt like I should be the audience taking lessons back home for how to be a vibrant club.

President Jeff Baker and Myself

My talk for a social work class at the university was my first talk for that generation.  Like with most classes there were a few who were disinterested, but most of them were obviously paying attention very closely.  I delivered the message that the data shows they were quite likely as young idealists to go out and do things for people, but challenged them to put communities before corporations and other things and do things with people.

The Wednesday night talk was the best of all.  I threw 1200 slides of our journey to date, obviously without much discrimination, and they played as a backdrop to both my talk and my performance of music.  The audience was both young and old.  As a former teacher I generally can get a sense of who is “getting it.”  All the young were, and perhaps all the old as well.  Sami from the university’s paper the Criterion had interviewed us earlier that day and her contingent (another reporter plus photographer) seemed particularly tuned in.

The idea that I might actually persuade some of our youth towards more community involvement in the future gives me goose bumps.  In addition, Dave from the coffee shop was there and came up after to tell me he was inspired towards believing in humanity ideas were percolating in his head.

As for good ideas, we spent the evening again at RoseAnn’s home and she shared more ideas.  Sharefest is a weekend where the Churches close their doors to Sunday worship and instead work together to benefit the community.  RoseAnn is also involved in a group that does a clothes exchange, much like the potluck theme I’m advocating.  The kitty of community involvement ideas continues to grow as we cross the country!

Throughout our stay at the college our home base was the building that housed the outdoor program.  What a vibrant program it is!  An extension of that program are the International Learning Adventures where students go to places like India and Africa to learn, interact and help out.  I found myself wanting to enroll in college one more time, but Cindy put her foot down.

Adventures Galore at CMUs Outdoor Program

Our next newsletter after Utah will feature the International Learning Adventures as well as Stay Positive, a student run movement with Nicholas Moore as a focal point.  I interviewed both Chad and Nick and can’t wait to spread the word of their humanitarian works.

Chad, Nick and Cindy