Today is the day our journey begins...Actually it began for me about three weeks ago when an email solicitation for funds found its way into my inbox. After reading about Debi Rubera, a school teacher in the Alaskan interior who encouraged her k-12 students to dream big and set their sights on a field trip to the lower 48, I thought to myself "HOW CAN ANYONE NOT HELP THESE KIDS?"
My initial thought was to send funds, but then I too started to dream bigger. I imagined myself growing up in a small remote village, on an island in the middle of the wilderness, with limited access to resources, and even less opportunity to break out of the isolated life that I was accustomed to. I thought about the courage it must take to dream big under these circumstances. I felt inspired by the story of these children, and reminded that the process of making dreams come true is the same whether you come from an island in the wilderness, inner city, or suburbs.
Realizing a dream come true involves first believing that it can come true. Then comes hard work and perseverance, overcoming adversity, more hard work, and often a helping hand or two.
It turns out that my way to help is to produce a film about Stony River Alaska and the transformation that is happening there RIGHT NOW as these Alaskan villagers prepare to send their children on the "trip of a lifetime." I am hopeful that this will become "Opportunity For a Lifetime" for these kids and others that they touch with their incredible story.
Special thanks go out today to Cox Communications, Alaska Airlines, and Planet Solar who have sponsored the film and enabled me and my dedicated film crew to travel to Anchorage today, and on to Stony River Alaska tomorrow.
My initial thought was to send funds, but then I too started to dream bigger. I imagined myself growing up in a small remote village, on an island in the middle of the wilderness, with limited access to resources, and even less opportunity to break out of the isolated life that I was accustomed to. I thought about the courage it must take to dream big under these circumstances. I felt inspired by the story of these children, and reminded that the process of making dreams come true is the same whether you come from an island in the wilderness, inner city, or suburbs.
Realizing a dream come true involves first believing that it can come true. Then comes hard work and perseverance, overcoming adversity, more hard work, and often a helping hand or two.
It turns out that my way to help is to produce a film about Stony River Alaska and the transformation that is happening there RIGHT NOW as these Alaskan villagers prepare to send their children on the "trip of a lifetime." I am hopeful that this will become "Opportunity For a Lifetime" for these kids and others that they touch with their incredible story.
Special thanks go out today to Cox Communications, Alaska Airlines, and Planet Solar who have sponsored the film and enabled me and my dedicated film crew to travel to Anchorage today, and on to Stony River Alaska tomorrow.
