What Live for 175 Means to Me

Live for 175 is an annual Child Abuse Awareness event held in the Treasure Valley every April. As I've said before, I have the unique privilege of watching this event grow and evolve into what it is today. The 175 hours has made such a positive impact on my life; I carried the campaign with me when I moved out of state and re-created it.

As I look back at the past ten years, a few things come to mind. The most prominent being the stories shared by abuse victims. Creating a platform for victims to heal, connect, and talk about their abuse brings to light some pretty emotional stories. Every year I'm surprised at how many people have struggled with abuse issues; children, women, and even men.

Live for 175 also gives me meaning. For 357 days out of the year, we talk about Justin Bieber and give away tickets to sold-out concerts, which is fun, but not meaningful. Every year for 175 hours we have an opportunity to make a positive change in peoples lives.

The crazy thing about Live for 175 is that no two years are the same. You can't forecast exactly whats going to happen. It has high's and low's, and then everything can change with one story.