I am hoping to drum up some community support for a project we have going with the immigrants stuck at the border. We will be out in front of Thriftway selling “inspirational garden rocks” the immigrants have painted, along with baked goods, to fund the work with them.

The pharmacy has graciously agreed to host some “Inspiration Rocks” there as well. They will be sold by donation, however I have a website, inspiration2go.org, where I will be actually selling the rocks, in case you miss us around town. We have a blog on our storefront where you can learn more about where we are going with this project, as there is much more to the story.

We bring backpacks galore along, filled with everyday Dollar Store items for them to sell, use or share. In case anyone would like to contribute, the library has been kind enough to allow us to have a bin inside for collecting backpacks and/or “items to stuff”. (When Dollar Store shopping think “PRACTICAL”!) Pass the word around for me, if you will, as I do not know what percentage of the Island reads the editorial section. (I’m a little afraid at the thought of finding the bin empty when I stop in.)

A plus: We plan to go on these trips once a month and will try to pay the way for two or three teens to come along each time, in order to inspire them to “make a difference” in their corner of the world. We will also be offering foundational job training and employment for some in the operations of our nonprofit organization (Inspiration 2 Go).

We were initially hoping to bring at-risk youth, or teens who might otherwise fall through the cracks, but have since decided to open it up to any teens who are up for the adventure. If you know a teen (or two or three) who might be open to the challenge or would like to help sponsor, send a line: jillbeytebiere@gmail.com.

—Jill Beytebiere