Last evening I took the kids to a Rally/Fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. For $25, we could all three eat Bon's BBQ, enjoy being outdoors doing kid-things (inflatable slide, face painting, balloon pumping and popping, cotton candy), hear some live music, contribute to an excellent program and hear the venerable John Edwards speak. I ponied up for all of the above reasons, plus I wanted to see how the event all came together (and I wanted to see, first hand, exactly how hot John Edwards really is in person). I have to admit: not bad. At the Village Green in Southern Village, right on time, Edwards sauntered up to the mic to give a brief, but captivating, speech to the crowd of about 150. He's shorter than I thought he'd be, and his skin was strikingly suntanned. Edwards is the director of the new Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity at UNC, and he spoke about the lies of 'America's Great Promise' (that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules will be successful). He said that Americans are hungry for inspiration and that, when asked, young people (namely college students) step up to provide service in our country's greatest areas of need. I was into it, right up close, clapping at the right times, thinking about how the Poverty Center and the Orange County Literacy Council (of which I've been a volunteer for the last ten years) need to connect in some way, when the kids starting poking, biting, and kissing each other and saying, (loudly) "I want to go home, Mommy." I heard all of the speech but missed my chance to shake hands with our ex-(handsome) senator. Maybe next time. What if there's not a next time? I'll make a next time. Connector, remember?
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