A Single Step

And so it begins...

Lao Tzu tells us that "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."  Certainly this is so.  With the formation of the Birthright America, Inc. approved in the State of Florida, the application for non-profit status as a 5019(c)(3) underway, the logo beautifully created by my daughter, Madison, and the first donation received, I am now several steps into this long journey.

As I briefly detail in the "Genesis" section of the website, I first imagined a foundation such as this one many years ago.  Perhaps that initial spark and thought was the true first step?  As I've embarked on creating the website, planning my pitch to potential sponsors and donors, and putting all of the logistics into place, I have found myself reflecting on what makes a person likely to want to donate to a cause such as this one.

My hope - and belief - is that many of us want for all of America's children what we want for our own and that we realize that by providing the next generation with opportunities to learn and flourish, we are investing in a future far more grand than the world we have thus far known.

Yes, I want the country's children to have the chance to experience the physical beauty of America's National Parks, but I also believe that having partaken of such experiences will make them more able and likely to be agents for positive change in the future.  "Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind," says Seneca. 

Just imagine what these children will become.  How their experiences with Birthright America will transform them in their formative years.  Certainly, a thousand mile journey will take time, but when it is as worthwhile as this endeavor, one must begin with that first single step.

Welcome to the Birthright America blog.  We are happy to have you as a companion on this journey.