For Anne Wishart Arnold-Ratliff, the adage “Not all who wander are lost” doesn’t really apply. Feeling purposeless after college, Anne embarked on an ambitious, 48-state trek throughout the contiguous U.S. to find her niche in this big ol’ world. Anne wasn’t content with backpacking and hostel-staying through the country like so many young post-grads do when feeling out-of-whack. Instead, she wanted to help. She explains, “My grandmother, Meme, always said that in the minute you begin feeling pity for yourself it is then your responsibility to help someone else.” With that in mind, she would pick seek out volunteer opportunities in each state that she visited.
Anne started her journey on January 4, 2010 and has been trucking ever since. To date, she’s visited 42 states and has helped out nonprofits and charity organizations in any task they could provide. She’s carved out an understanding of other cultures, people and situations through seeing and hearing inspiring stories of some of America’s most overlooked. For instance, in Virginia, she volunteered with an organization that rebuilds the lives of the formerly incarcerated through job training. In Utah, she worked at an ESL center. She pitched in at animal shelters and big-time events, gave her time stuffing envelopes and painting walls. And like Willie sang, she’s back on the road again.
Today, Anne stopped by Dallas to help out Big Thought on the Texas leg of her trip. A performer at heart, Anne has always held a special place in her heart for the arts. Hence, she stopped by our office to help us get out the word for events and to research creative activities for Dallas children and families. We couldn’t be happier that she chose as her destination in Texas because Anne embodies so much of the Big Thought spirit. As our name implies, we are an organization that imagines possibilities -- gigantic, huge, tremendous ones, in the name of creativity and education. We believe that all of our youth, regardless of where they live or learn, have the ability to imagine – and achieve -- great things in their lives. In essence, our young learners are full of big thoughts and we want to nurture them. That’s why we were so excited to have Anne, who had the audacity to believe that service to others can change not only her life but others around her.
To learn more about Anne, please visit her website:
http://48sop.com/blog/ (48 states of purpose, that is.)
If you are inspired by her story and want to do more, visit
http://www.slant45.org/ to see how you can give back to your community and be a part of something bigger than yourself.
