Everyone has been completely up in arms about Cecil……including me. I absolutely love big cats (and by that I mean lions, tigers, panthers) not fat jazz musicians. I have collected them in photos, stuffed animals, etc. since I was a little girl. I wish I would have followed my true dreams and pursued a career working with wild animals. I sort of do that in the car business in Hoopeston - but it's not the same.

Anyway - Heather and I were discussing the Cecil thing via text this morning - she is angry that people aren't getting as upset about food insecurity issues, child abuse, etc. All of a sudden it became crystal clear to me……..As a whole, people find it easier to attack, and to label a perpetrator and go after that one individual with both barrels. They have someone they can blame for a bad thing that happened.

With food insecurity and child abuse - who do you lash out at? It is a problem we have as a nation - we can't identify one single culprit and then make it all go away. These are issues so huge and so daunting that most people don't even know where to start or how to make a difference. We can't identify the "shooter" and castrate him, so instead many people do absolutely nothing at all. But what if you could make a difference in one child's life? What if you looked at one person in need like you look at Cecil. It is too late for Cecil - and my heart breaks every time I see a picture of him - and I will kick that dentist right in the nuts if I ever see him……..but what can I do now that would help someone - or some animal for that matter……….?

Here are somethings you can do:

Help out at a food bank or food pantry - just an hour or two of your time repackaging food or handing food out.

You could make a donation to Back Pack Buddies - grade school kids take a backpack filled with food home on Friday from school to get them through the weekend.

You could sign up with CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates - for children in abusive situations.

You could volunteer at Crisis Nursery - two hour shifts to play with little kids. Or you could find out what is on their wish list as far as things like formula, diapers, clothes.

You could volunteer at an area Humane Society - Champaign County, Hoopeston, Vermillion County. You could make a monetary donation to any of those. Or you could donate an item or service or cash to the upcoming Fur Ball for CCHS.

I can keep going - if you need more suggestions just write to me. But more importantly if you have time to sit and repeatedly post about Cecil - get off your dead ass and go help an animal or child that is still living and needs you!

Love,

The Gym Bytch