This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #6: Daydream Believer: Write down one big dream of yours. Draw or find a picture to go with it and put it somewhere you will see it often.

This is such a fun challenge! Who doesn’t like to dream about the future? It’s inevitably filled with hope and possibilities of wonderful blessings!

The law of attraction is a mysterious thing. I had a neat moment last Friday when I was cleaning out some papers near my desk. I found two copies of Wisconsin Women Magazine, one from October 2007 and one from December 2007. I remember picking them up with the conscious mindset that I wanted to be in there somehow. Maybe if I looked through them closely, I’d find a connection. Of course, as life happens the magazines got placed under some papers and weren’t seen again for what ended up being seven months… the exact same day that the August issue of the magazine came out, with Jason and I on the cover. The cool part of this story is that we were approached by them to be on the cover. (Read the article here.) By the way, Jason broke records with this… being the first man to ever grace the cover! Don’t you love his socks?!

Don’t skip this challenge! It could truly impact the details of your future.

Share with us in the comments of the Escape Plan blog what dreams you’re recording this week. Be sure to stop back and let us know when they are accomplished.

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One of my blog posts recently received a very intriguing comment. It was loaded with interesting observations and great questions and I wanted to address them here.

As much as I love reading your website, and others like yours, I have realized that reading about it, and actually doing something about it is 2 different matter. Believe me, I’ve been a long-term reader of sites such as yours and am always comforted by the fact that there are people out there like you. I also talk about your sites, and my thoughts with my friends.

But lately, my friends have come to the conclusion that, yes, many people out there ditch their jobs to chase their dreams (or something less dramatic), but there are also just as many out there who go to work like we all do, live a 9-6 life and enjoy the weekends.

They’ve actually concluded that I’m torturing myself here because I read all these encouraging articles, dream all my dreams, but still am miserably stuck.

Don’t get me wrong. I love this article. And your site is very inspiring. But HOW do you actually get people out there to ACT and DO it? How are we to ditch our salaries, health benefits, career prospects, etc, and go, say pursue our dream of volunteering in a third-world country?

I know it’s illogical, and I know all the arguments against staying at a job just for the money, perks, whatever. But still we are not taking action.

If we are, there will no longer be visitors to your site!

So how and where do people finally say and go, right, enough of reading….I’m gonna do it!? How do you get to that point?

First of all, it’s never a bad thing to read or listen to things that inspire you to make positive changes in your life. Encountering the stories of people — people just like us — can help us to see that impossible things are actually more possible than we realized. And they can help us build up the courage we need to launch off on our own epic journey. However, a good many people go out of their way to avoid — and even criticize — these sorts of stories. After all, it can be quite unsettling to have your own self-limiting beliefs challenged, forcing you to face the possibility that you’ve settled for less than your best.

One of the things I was fortunate to learn pretty early on in my career as a professional speaker and writer was that I can’t get anyone to DO anything. Not one person. Not one thing. It’s easy to forget that sometimes — because I really wish I could — but remembering that truth has saved me a lot of frustration. Conversely, if someone is waiting for some speaker or some book or some fairy godmother to wink twice, twitch her nose, and magically transform their life for them, well, that person will be waiting for a very long time indeed.

What I can do is try and live by example and use emotion and intellect to communicate a message that serves as a catalyst for someone to make a positive change in their life. Believe me, that’s the ultimate. But when it all comes down to it, nothing I do or say can make them do anything.

All that being said, one thing that seems to be very effective in getting people to take action is bad news from their doctor.

As enticing as a dream may be, the good ones always involve some sort of uncomfortability and a certain level of risk. Two things most human beings aren’t too fond of. Change and risk are scary things, and most people choose to stay in their current situation (which although admittedly not ideal, is at least a known quantity) than set off into the unknown. Bad news from a doctor, or a near death experience, or a sudden death of a loved one does a pretty good job of helping people realize that the things they worry about are not really worth worrying about after all.

I also think people get so caught up in the big picture that they forget that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. It’s understandably overwhelming to consider the concept of quitting your job, abandoning a career, taking a pay cut, giving up benefits, and moving to a third-world country (or whatever the dream requires.) But in most cases, dreams are accomplished in baby steps. Books are filled with examples of people who began chasing their dream while they were still in school, still had a family to support, still had kids at home, or were still working at a job they didn’t care much for but at least paid the bills.

Indiana Jones is a hero because he takes action when most of the people around him are too afraid (or cynical.) That’s not to say he isn’t afraid (snakes, anyone?), just that he moves forward in spite of the fear. He doesn’t always plan everything out to the last detail (that can become just another form of inaction) because he knows that unexpected things are going to come up anyway. We, too, can expect the unexpected on our journey. Just like Indiana, our quest for the holy grail — our “dream,” if you will — is wrought with peril, lonely paths, and bad guys. Undoubtedly, it’s an adventure of a lifetime and the journey is totally worth it.

But nobody can do it for us.

If you’re feeling stuck, maybe you just need a little bit more courage to take that first action step. A baby step. You’re closer than you think.

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This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #19: Future Forecast: Spend 10 minutes visioning yourself 10 years from now as having accomplished one of your biggest dreams. Be as detailed as possible; imagine in all five senses.

Every time Jason and I end up at a mall he makes a joke about the “Ice Cream of the Future”… you know, Dippin’ Dots. This frozen treat company has been claiming this title for over 20 years.

When is the future, anyway?

And speaking of the future, when is our transportation system going to mirror that of The Jetsons? Speaking around the country would be so much easier if we could just fly from one place to the next in our own vehicles, or better yet- teleportation. Beam me up, Scotty!

All joking aside, in order to see real change in your reality you have to know what you’re going after. You have to have a vision. Otherwise, you end up drifting from one year to the next.

One of the questions in the Adultitis intake is as follows:

This is what I think about following dreams…

A. I do have dreams, but I try to keep them realistic.
B. My dreams are so big, I think most people think I’m mental.
C. Three words: Get. A. Job. People should spend more time with their feet on the ground than heads in the clouds.
D. I don’t really have time for my dreams.

What would your answer be? I know most kids would answer letter B. If you don’t believe me, just look at their Christmas lists. It’s time to start spending time visioning your dreams coming true. Engage the senses… and most importantly- have fun with it!

So, let me get you started. The date is April 21, 2018. Will you be flying to the nearest ice cream shop to eat frozen dots of wonderfulness?

Share with us in the comments of the Escape Plan Blog what you’ll be doing ten years from today.

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Here’s a great itty bitty post from Adultitis Antidote winner Rocks in My Dryer:

We were on our way home from an especially well-played soccer match. My son Joseph settled happily back in the seat and sighed.

“Mom,” he said. “I feel, deep in my heart, that I’m about to be famous.”

“Really? I asked. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” he said, “You know how I’m not famous now?” I thought for a minute, trying to remember if I’d seen his picture on the cover of People magazine. Nope.

“Yes, I know.”

“Well,” he continued, “I just feel, in my heart, like I’m about to be.”

He contentedly sighed again, and he gazed out his window.

How easily I forget the wonder of having the mystery and possibility of an entire life stretching out in front of you.

It’s good to be six.

Don’t forget that even if you’re sixty-six, there are still a LOT of mysteries and possibilities in front of you. If you’re still breathing, God still has plans for you. After all, Colonel Sanders didn’t become really famous until he was in his sixties.

Dream big. Live life to the last drop.

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I love my job. As I write this, I am several thousand feet in the air, sitting in first class on a jet, coming home from some speaking programs in New York. I’m in first class because Kim and I did so much traveling last year, we got bumped up to the next level of our airline’s rewards program, so every once in a while, our tickets get upgraded and we get to fly “in style.”

Here’s the part I love. Not to be stereotypical, but most of the people sitting around me are the, um, “stuffy” types. The business suits checking their Blackberrys and poring over last quarter’s numbers. It’s hard to say, but they don’t seem particularly happy. Meanwhile, I pull out my Powerbook to do a little work of my own. In the middle of updating the online archive of Kim & Jason comic strips, I can’t help but smile. I wonder what other people would be thinking if they took a glance at my computer screen, populated by a continuous rotation of silly drawings of cartoon characters.

This is my work. Sometimes I have to pinch myself at the ridiculousness of it all.

It’s nice to have these moments of Zen, because it helps keep me sane when the frustrating aspects of my job test my patience. Being on the road is tiring. Air travel can eat you alive if you let it. (I’ve yet to figure out how standing, sitting, and waiting can be so tiring.) Impossibly early mornings, delayed flights, and stupid people can make me wonder what the heck I’m doing with my life.

But the good moments help me remember why I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.

Mine is a career that even I couldn’t imagine back when I was in high school and college. Somehow, I have a job that brings together every single one of my talents into one unified whole, even though individually, they don’t seem particularly related. But here’s the kicker: none of it would be real if not for the willingness to dream big and take a leap.

During last night’s program, we were talking about dreaming big. I discussed the sad reality that often includes countless well-intentioned parents and teachers discouraging the dreams of a young person, simply because they perceive the dream to be “too difficult,” “impossible,” or “unrealistic.” What a shame. I shared a quote by John Andrew Holmes, who said, “Never tell a young person that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossible to do that thing.”

After the presentation, a woman came up to me, wanting to share a story. She told me about her son, who had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. School was a challenge. He was a bright boy, but every single report card and parent-teacher conference included the same refrain: “Tim is falling behind. He is simply unable to focus.”

The mother boasted proudly, “Want to guess what he’s doing now? He’s a successful photographer in New York City.”

Pretty good for someone who had trouble focusing.

When I was washing cars and running errands for a car dealership as a teenager, it was sometimes hard to imagine that I’d ever be flying first class on an airplane, manipulating cartoons on a cool laptop. But those long, sweaty days — when the clock seemed to only tick backwards — strengthened my resolve to make a living doing what I loved. I didn’t know exactly what that would look like, but I used my ample supply of time to dream up the possibilities.

Now mind you, my parents were a bit freaked out when I proclaimed that I wanted to be an artist. They had only heard of the “starving” kind. But they reached out to my high school art teacher and invited her over for dinner. They asked lots of questions.

“Is he any good?”

“What are his options?”

“What schools would you recommend?”

My art teacher eased their fears (thanks Mrs. Garrett!) and helped guide us on a wise path suited to my personality and ambitions. It has been a bumpy road, but my parents have always supported and believed in me. Sometimes, amidst the long sleepless nights and tearful laments of doubt and sacrifice, their steadfast belief in me has been my single reason for not throwing in the towel.

Sometimes dreams seem improbable, even impossible. The best ones always are. Our role as adults is to encourage our young dreamers. Rather than poking holes in their aspirations, we should offer our experience to point them in the direction that will help them find the tools they need to make their dreams come true.

In the meantime, we need to allow some of that youthful ambition to rub off on us. Big dreams are not just for the young, but they are exclusive to the young at heart.

Be bold.

Dream big.

You never know how high into the clouds they will take you.

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Few people in history have exhibited the intense and authentic childlike qualities of Martin Luther King, Jr. Knowing the weight of his message and adversity he met on his journey of justice, he should’ve had a major case of  Adultitis. I do not believe that he did, however. Here’s why…

• He dreamed BIG. REALLY big!
• He was curious (and brave) enough ask some of the hardest questions ever asked. Why? Why not? What if?
• He was honest, speaking the truth that was in his heart, even when others weren’t open to what he had to say.
• Few men have walked this earth with more passion than Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Last, but not least, his childlike faith and courage lead him to a position of leadership that ultimately cost him his life.

Here’s a short clip of his last speech, a day before his assassination. Most notable to me is his childlike faith. He’s not in denial about the difficult times ahead, yet he is not worried. He has no fear, for he knows what’s truly important.

Is there anything more childlike than that?

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There aren’t many things that bring me back to childhood faster than listening to the theme songs of the favorite shows of my youth. I’m often disappointed by actually watching them (was the animation really that crappy?) but the song itself conjures up all the old feelings of excitement and adventure. This one might be my favorite:

I also have a special place in my heart for themes from A-Team, Mighty Mouse, Spiderman, and GI Joe. All of these songs (and many, many more) can be found at TelevisionTunes.com (hat tip to Shirley for pointing this site out.)

As I strolled down memory lane, I was struck by how much those songs influenced me as a kid. They’re all very heroic in nature, championing truth, justice, good over evil, and the plight of the underdog. My make-believe time was often spent with a cape tied around my neck as I sped off to save the day, or with a machine gun in hand on my way to infiltrate the bad guy’s hideout. Listening to the songs actually stirs up a desire that drives me to this day — a desire to make a big difference in the world. Somehow, even though I was a shy, skinny, middle class kid from Peru, Illinois, those songs made me believe that I could. They helped me believe that it WAS possible to make a difference.

And in my own little way, I believe that I am.

Thanks, Underdog.

What about you? How did music from your childhood influence you as a person?

Technorati Tags: music, cartoon songs, tv show themes, Underdog, A-Team, Mighty Mouse, G.I. Joe

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In the newly released Bee Movie (produced by, written by, and starring Jerry Seinfeld), the main character, Barry B. Benson, is applauded for having the perfect report card — all B’s. Kim and I had a chance to see this film over the weekend, and I have to give it all A’s.

What made it most refreshing was the influence of Seinfeld. The king of observational comedy, Jerry’s fingerprints were all over the movie. I expected a lot of bad puns (there were only a few) but time and time again, I was delighted by all of the witty, smart, and thoughtful observations about what life might look like from the perspective of a bee. Somehow it managed to be funny while making perfect sense at the same time. For instance, ever think about how important anger management is to a bee when you consider that the decision to sting is often fatal? Or have you ever wondered what a bee would think about those ubiquitous bear-shaped containers we use to sell honey? It’s insulting, to say the least.

Although his classic TV series often contained an overarching sense of cynicism, this movie almost exclusively displays Seinfeld’s witty charm, naive curiosity, and childlike optimism. The story is just fun, the characters are interesting (if Chris Rock had been in more of it, he’d have stole the show), and the visuals are as stunning as they are whimsically fantastic. I am not a big fan of animation trying to achieve total realism, and Bee Movie does a good job of creating a believable world mixed with cartoony caricature that makes these sorts of movies fun.

I also appreciated that the movie didn’t take itself too seriously, opting for more of a fairly tale styled plot rather than trying to bend over backwards explaining how any of this could really happen in real life. It also offered up an example of how all of nature works together, without being overly preachy (something that I’m getting quite weary of these days.)

You’d probably have to watch the movie three times to get all of the little side jokes. Tie in some themes about dreaming big, delighting in the little things, and asking “why?” and you’ve got a bona fide Adultitis Antitode of a film for the whole family. It’s packed with laughs and a lot of moments that will have you smiling as you think, “Hmm…I never thought of that before.”

Technorati Tags: Bee Movie, Jerry Seinfeld, Dreamworks, animation, movie review

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If you had lived in the 1800’s, would you have been an explorer? Jason and I watched a very cool IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon during our visit there last week. (Here are some pictures from our trip, by the way.)

The movie gave a history of some of the canyon’s explorers, including a certain Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell. In 1869 he heroically lead a famous boat expedition through the gorge. He and his crew of nine men tackled the Colorado River in four small wooden boats.

Yikes, Powell! What were you thinking?

Powell, a one-armed Army Major, and his men were the first to ever make this trip successfully. Talk about having the curiosity and adventurous spirit of a child!

The part that really stuck out to me was towards the end of their expedition, although they didn’t know it was almost the end. They had gotten through some crazy rough rapids, leaving the men frazzled and frightened. Discussions were happening about the sanity of continuing the journey, knowing their lives were in real danger. A few of the men had made up their minds that it would be nuts for them to keep going. They were done with the whole “almost dying” thing again and again. Powell and a handful of his men gallantly decided to keep going. They had come so far. It was a sad departure, as both groups of men feared for the other group’s safety.

The end of the story is very interesting. The next treacherous section of the river that Powell conquered was the last patch of danger they would face. Meanwhile the men who walked away, fearful of the waves before them, were never seen or heard from again.

Here Powell and his sidekicks conquer the gorge, eventually being the ones to name it the Grand Canyon, and the other men were most likely killed by animals or nomads. No one knows for sure. Doesn’t that just stink for the men who walked away? Initially, they seemed like they were the smart ones, walking away from the certain danger. Yet, they based their decision to stop on fear. Ironically it was more dangerous for them to abandon ship.

Have you ever made a decision (of action or inaction) based on fear?

I’ve seen any examples of this, and I’m sure you have too. I know someone who moved into a small and more high-maintenance house because she thought she was going to be laid off from her job. Thirty years later, and no lay off yet. She still drives by that house with regrets of what could’ve been.

I know of a number of elderly people who grew up during The Great Depression who lived their lives in fear surrounding their finances. Many hoarded money all over their houses, fearful of trusting banks, and sadly died with thousands of dollars unspent due to fear.

I know a man who was fearful of flying. This fear prevented him from visiting his children and grandchildren because it took so long to drive across the country, which became increasingly difficult with his age and health. He missed out on many memories and occasions, all based on fear.

How is fear impacting you? Do you need to stick it out for a while longer? Do you need to walk away from something?

There may only be one rough patch of water left before you get there. Conquer your fear.

Technorati Tags: John Wesley Powell. The Great Depression, Grand Canyon, Colorado River, fear

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Kim and I are in Arizona this week. It’s hotter than the inside of an Easy Bake Oven.

After a speaking engagement in Scottsdale on Sunday, as I signed books for busy moms and teased little kids, I noticed an elderly woman standing quietly in the background. She looked like she was waiting for the crowd to clear out. Once the activity level died down, she and her walker made their way over to the table where I was sitting. “I want to share a story with you,” she said eagerly.

Dorthy was her name, and she informed me matter-of-factly that she was eighty. Her wispy, silver hair framed her plump face and sparkling eyes.

“Ten years ago, I thought I was going to die,” she started. “So I made a list of all the things I thought I was going to do ’some day.’ One by one, I started doing them, you know, the things we always say we’re going to do, like visiting someone, making a phone call, writing a letter.”

One of the things Dorothy decided to do was book a flight to meet her brother for lunch. They didn’t see each other very much; he never had the time and she never had the money. He picked her up at the airport and he took a half day off (”He never does that!”). They had a delightful lunch with his wife and family.

“My brother is kind of a workaholic. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why I was there,” she said. “I told him, ‘I’m here because I love you and I wanted to spend time with you.’ It was probably the best gift I could have ever given him.”

“And then I surprised my husband when I told him we were going to Hawaii,” she continued. “‘What?! You’re crazy!’ he said. ‘People like us don’t go to Hawaii.’”

A year later, they were in Hawaii.

And I could see the childlike joy shine from her eyes as she described traveling to Italy for the opera, another life-long dream. “It was so wonderful!” she exclaimed. “They so love their opera over there. The old theater was beautiful, so opulent — and it was even an opera I knew!”

“I had so much fun doing all of those things,” Dorothy continued. “I’m sure it was one of the reasons I was cured.”

Now just minutes earlier, I had been encouraging a roomful of people to make the most of their days, slowing down enough to appreciate life’s captivating details, and being brave enough to chase their dreams. But if everyone had the chance to hear Dorothy tell her story and see firsthand the effervescent life in her blue eyes, my words wouldn’t be needed.

And I’d be fine with it.

But instead, most people work late into the night, rushing around like pinballs in a noisy arcade game, desperately trying to keep up with an impossible standard, even though something deep inside yearns for something different. Sadly, it often takes a doctor telling you that your days are numbered before you begin to make some changes.

And that’s if you’re lucky enough to get a warning.

I am more certain than ever that God intended our lives here on earth to be more like the one Dorothy described: exciting, invigorating, and filled with moments of wondrous awe and giddy delight.

I think that when we get to heaven, it might be like returning home from a long trip. The angels and the saints will crowd around us, eager to hear the tales of our life. “Who did you meet? Who captured your heart? What did you see? Wasn’t the sunset over the ocean great? How impressive was that opera?” These are the questions they’ll ask us, and they’ll even be patient and sincere enough to want to see all our pictures and watch all of our home movies.

How sad would it be for them to hear you respond, “People like me don’t do that sort of stuff.”

Whatever is in your heart to do, do it. Write that letter. Make that call. Take that trip. Helen Keller was right when she said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

Live life daringly. You only get one.

Technorati Tags: life list, Helen Keller, daring adventure, life choices

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My friend and colleague Jill Fleming is a Registered Dietitian and wellness speaker who travels the world encouraging people to make “Love Your Body Choices.” She recently shared an article for our soon-to-be-released Escape Adulthood magazine. (It’s at the printer!) One of the tips in her article is . . .

“Squeeze any muscle you wish to tone. Hold it until it starts to burn and then hold 5-seconds longer.”

Great tip! It also applies to following your dreams. In order to get to the next level in your goals you have to not only let it burn, you have to persist through the burn. Too many people stop when it starts to get uncomfortable.

I recently found this video clip from the movie, Facing the Giants, which came out last September. It really got me thinking about all of this.

If you don’t either have chills or a tear rolling down your cheek, you might want to check your pulse.

Awe-inspiring.

What I love about sports is how the lessons you learn can directly apply to your life. Lessons on persistence, courage, strength, etc.

Something really struck me about the reactions of Brock’s peers. For the first 30 yards or so they were razzing him, laughing, and teasing him about his buddy falling off of his back. It was all a joke to them. Somewhere along the journey, they shut up, sat a little taller and became curious about what they were witnessing. By the end they were standing, with their jaws on the ground and respect in their eyes. They were paying attention.

Coach told Brock, “God has gifted you with the ability of leadership, don’t waste it.”

What has God gifted you with?
Are you truly doing your best?
Have you prematurely written something off as a loss?
Are you setting your goals too safe, 10 yards, instead of 100?

The coach’s messages are ones you need to remind yourselves of everyday.

“Don’t stop. Keep moving. Keep driving it. Don’t quit until you’ve got nothing left. Your very best. I want everything you got. You need to negotiate with you body to find more strength. Gimmie more.”

It will burn. You will hurt. It will be heavy.

You can go more than 50 yards.

Technorati Tags: Jill Fleming, Love Your Body Choices, Facing the Giants, sports, dreams, goals, leadership, persistence

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It’s back to school week here in Wisconsin, which reminds me of how much the school system in this country stinks. Not the teachers (well, not most of them), but the system. It’s broken.

I’m not exactly sure why school boards are run by people who don’t know the first thing about running a school (having gone to school doesn’t count), or how it’s possible to spend almost $9,000 per student on education in this country (which has tripled since 1965, while national academic performance has not improved) and yet still want to throw more money at it. It shouldn’t really surprise me, as anything run primarily by the federal government turns out to be a waste of money and a brilliant example of bureaucratic ineptitude. Adultitis in spades.

I think it could all be fixed, if — and that’s a giant IF — the government would just step out of the way and let regular people with great ideas take over.

Case in point is DonorsChoose.org. This from their website:

DonorsChoose is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.

Proposals range from “Magical Math Centers” ($200) to “Big Book Bonanza” ($320), to “Cooking Across the Curriculum” ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, and a teacher impact letter.

I love it. I love that teachers can ask for exactly what they need. I love that you can choose exactly where your money goes. I love it that you get feedback on how the project all turned out. Way cool.

The government already charitably donates to the school system on our behalf (they’re called taxes) but does anyone really feel confident that your local kindergarten class is any better off because of your contribution? With DonorsChoose.org, you can make a difference to a real group of kids that are either in your neighborhood or are looking to fund a project that is near and dear to your heart.

Think of the possibilities:

A tech geek could help a class get a much-needed video camera.

A publishing company could help middle schoolers develop a love for writing and become authors.

A sporting goods store could help a local high school team upgrade their equipment.

This idea is geared toward individual donors in an approach called Citizen Philanthropy, but it also offers an opportunity for businesses to step in and make a real, measurable impact in their community, above and beyond sponsoring the Little League team.

Since the project was launched by social studies teacher Charles Best in 2000, over $14,000,000 has been donated to over 600,000 students. I think many aspects of our overgrown government are messed up, but I still love this country because ordinary people with big dreams can still accomplish the extraordinary.

Technorati Tags: DonorsChoose.org, DonorsChoose, citizen philanthropy, school system, school board, taxes, American education

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