One of the interesting things about the BeautifulYouth models… is the wide variety of backgrounds from which the models come to us.
I got to thinking about this during this week, as I put up a page for our patrons to donate money. Two of our models (brothers) come from a family where mom is the sole breadwinner (actually, the sole parent). She is a brave woman of pride and integrity, fiercely intent on providing for her family of three (dad has long since left the picture). In order to provide food and shelter for her two boys, she works 10 hours a day, 6 days a week at one of those jobs that seem so abundant- the kind that barely allows for subsistence in our culture. In short, the family has their basic needs met- without a lot of discretionary money left over.
One of the family’s joys is music, and this summer, they have the opportunity to meet one of their favorite singers at a fan gathering. Mom has scrimped and saved, and they have (on faith) booked travel to Nashville to see their music idol. It was during this week that I turned to the patrons to assist them, so that they might travel in some semblance of style, not having to eke out a miserly trip.
And I got to thinking about the diverse backgrounds of the models. Some of our models come to us from (very) well-off families- families with net worth in the 7-to-8-figure range. Private schools, private tutors, live-in nannies. And some of our models come to us from very humble means. Each payment they receive from the BeautifulYouth project goes into helping pay for household necessities.
I’ve never asked the patrons for money before to support our less-well-off models’ families before, and I don’t think I’ll make it a habit.
But I found it ironic that this very week, I’m sending a personal check to one of our former models who finds herself pregnant and struggling to make her way in life with her fiancee as they strike out on their own.
And I find it somewhat synchronistic that I send away precious money the same week that my wife and I welcome a new child into our family- when we need money the most.
Money is an odd thing, and if you think about it from the quantum perspective, relatively (no pun intended) unimportant and quite an intriguing invention of the human race. But like a lyric I love goes… “Every stream runs to the river / Every river runs to the sea / So every little bit of love I give to another / You know that I believe it comes back to me.”