Debbie Cross 0  

"Help one person at a time to eliminate hatred and intollerance"

Layton, UT, USA
female, age 54
married, 4 children
Speaks: English and some Spanish
Joined May 14, 2010

more about Debbie Cross »

I care about the Constitution, equal rights and promoting peace between people of all ethnic groups.  I believe that the biggest threat to our country are laws that violate the Constitution and the hatred that leads to those laws.  Hatred and prejudice harms both the person that feels them and the people that are the target.  In most cases, that hatred and prejudice are fueled by lack of knowledge and lack of understanding the people that are targeted.  Hatred separates good people from one another.  It tears at the soul of our country.  I care about people of all races and about the unique obstacles faced by each unique and special person.  I have been a literacy volunteer for 15 years and have succeeded in teaching over 150 people of all ages how to read.  I have attended 6 college graduations of students I have taught.  The joy I feel when I see the excitement in the eyes of my student who can finally read is worth every hour of work.  I volunteer in shelters and assist in getting training to those who are homeless.  They want to learn, want to work and want to be self sufficient.  They just need help to reach their dreams.  I volunteer as a tutor for all children of any race who struggle with school.  When you help a student succeed, you change the world and our country one child at a time.  I have worked and succeeded in setting up scholarships for multiple different special needs.  When I read or hear people write or speak with hatred based words, my heart breaks for both the speaker/writer and for the people targeted by those words.  My philosophy is that if a person does not like a certain part of our society, reach out and help the people you feel the hatred towards.  After serving and assisting them, they will no longer be "things" to hate but will be people that the person will understand and care about.  If changes need to be made, then we all need to work together to bring about those changes.  Some people have told me that I am naive...until they try it and their lives change forever.  There is a deep truth in the concept that when we walk in the shoes of another person, it changes who we are and what our perception of other people are.  I promote changing shoes often and regularly and walking with different groups of people down the path of their lives.  It opens the eyes and the heart.  It changes your soul.