ELIZABETH PLEMMONS

I have been involved in civic engagement for as long as I can remember.  I have walked to raise money for childhood diabetes and breast cancer, I have cold-called on behalf of Planned Parenthood, I have marched in the Women’s March to raise awareness for equal rights for women, I have worked and advocated for the YMCA organization, and done countless other things here and there that have (hopefully) contributed to the greater good of these communities and organizations.

 

In every one of these communities and organizations that I’ve worked and advocated for over the course of my life, I’ve learned things about myself and the world that continue to resonate with me.  When I walked for childhood diabetes and breast cancer, I realized just how personal these diseases are to the people who have them and their friends and families.  I also realized how important it is for us to band together to help each other when the need arises. 

 

There’s power in numbers.  When I marched in the Women’s March in Chicago, I was one of nearly 300,000 people marching to raise awareness for women’s rights, and the rights of the marginalized and oppressed among us.  I brought my 4-year-old daughter with me because I wanted her to see first-hand how important it is for her to stand up for herself and others, and just how powerful our voices are when we raise them together for a greater purpose.

 

I worked for the McGaw YMCA in Evanston for nearly 10 years.  What began as a badly-needed part time job became an understanding of how important this institution is to the Evanston community, and a desire to be able to contribute to their mission within the community in whatever way I could.  I marched in parades, I volunteered on my days off, and eventually I started my own program that provided high-quality music instruction to families that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

 

As I continue on with this new chapter in my life, I will continue to look for places where I can help and serve others.  It is the rabbinic sage Hillel the Elder who famously said, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?” 

 

If not me, who?  If not now, when? 

 

For me, it’s that simple.