A Letter Everyone Needs To Read

Dear [YOUR NAME HERE],

I know at times we’ve had a rocky relationship. There were moments when you thought I was too demanding and took up too much of your time. I know you felt obligated to spend time with me when you really wanted to hang out with your friends and have fun. . I kept you up countless nights and made you deal with problems you didn’t want to deal with. I’m sure the notion that I’m more trouble than I’m worth has entered your mind more than once over the years. I know there were times when you resented me and everything I represented; sometimes you even said you didn’t need me. As painful as that was to hear, I’ve always been here and will always have your best interest at heart. I want you to succeed in life and realize your full potential and even though you may think I’m holding you back, I’m actually pushing you forward.

I am your education.

We find ourselves in time of crisis in the state of California and my existence is being threatened. People who have already benefited from me—who, thanks to me, have reached their potential—are now making me less accessible to the new generation. California Community Colleges have always been my biggest fans; they’ve always made sure that I was available to anyone who wanted to pursue me, no matter what their income. I don’t discriminate nor do I believe that I am a privilege for the elite. I am available for all those who thirst for knowledge and wish to fulfill their dreams.

Despite the power that I grant to you, I myself am powerless to stop the budget cuts that are hurting me and, by association, you. I have no voice and I cannot stand up for myself. My power lies in you. Now, more than ever, I need you.

Please stand up for me on April 17th and donate to the Scholarship Endowment so that I can continue to enlighten students in the California Community College system. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman who doesn’t pay for your school or if you graduated twenty years ago and you think these budget cuts don’t effect you. I promise you they will effect the future of the world in which you live if no one stands up for me.

Apathy is a dangerous enemy and I fear that this is just as dangerous a threat as the financial crisis I am facing. I know many of you think you cannot effect change. In order for a cause to be championed, we must first convince the public that it is not lost. I can assure you that education is not a lost cause. One voice by itself may not be that loud, but if we all gather in support of education, we can create a noise loud enough that it cannot be ignored and change will come. It may not be immediate, but we can make a difference.

Please visit http://www.handsacrosscalifornia.org/ to sign up and save your spot in line for April 17th or visit www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michele-pluss/hands-across-california to donate to the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC), which will provide hundreds of scholarships to students who may not be financially able to pursue higher education due to these continued budget cuts and tuition hikes.

I have, and always will be, your champion. Now, I am asking you to be mine.

Sincerely,
Your Education