Remember when you could go a whole week without knowing about every single bad thing happening in the world?

That was nice.

These days, everything feels like too much. But for fourteen million kids in this country right now, "too much" isn't a headline. It's just life. They’re going hungry. Too many don't have a place to sleep or a doctor they can see when they're sick. And this isn’t happening somewhere else. It's right down the street, in the school a few miles away, with the family a few houses over.

If you’re reading this, you know that. You've known it for a while. You've sent the check, you've watched the specials, you've passed along a clip to your group chat. You've cared.

So this isn't a lecture about caring.

It's an invitation.

The plan

Comic Relief is shifting how we work. Last week, we wrote about the first part of that — how we're changing the story this country tells about childhood poverty.  The one that says it's too big, too entrenched, too political. (It isn't. It's solvable. The proof is everywhere if you go looking.)

Today is the second piece. This is where you come in.

People are more likely to do something when the path is simple, and when they see others already doing it. By "doing something," we mean volunteering, showing up at things, telling the people in your life what you saw and why it mattered.

We’re going to create more of this energy; more people showing up, more often, in more places. That’s the heart of our community engagement work: helping people find real ways to get involved where they live, and connecting that effort to the people already doing that work on the ground.   

The result, we hope: more people showing up for each other. Stronger local organizations. A country closer to one where every kid gets a fair shot, and people finally believe their efforts add up.

Showing up changes you, too. It gives you back something the world has been taking. Connection. Purpose. The feeling that you're not the only one trying.

That's the tent we're putting up. It's open. There's a seat in it for you.   

What's coming

This fall we're starting something we hope you'll be a part of. Free community events in cities around the country, built to bring people together with the local organizations doing this work. The first is in Los Angeles in September. A second city follows later in the fall. Comedy and music will get you in the door. The local nonprofits doing the work will be there to meet you. We’ll have things you can sign up for. Things you can do that day. Things you may not have known were happening in your own neighborhood.

These are not fundraisers. They're community festivals — places where you can show up not knowing anyone, and leave knowing you belong.

For now, the only ask is this: stay close. When we open the doors, we want you walking through them.‍

Subscribe to hear what's next. Follow along online. Send this to the people in your group chats who'd want to read it.

The world will keep telling you our problems are too big to fix. Your neighborhood isn't. That's where we're starting.

This is part two of a three part series on our impact strategy.

• Part 1: We're evolving, because kids can't wait.
• Part 2: Childhood poverty is a we problem. And together we can solve it.
• Part 3: When communities lead, kids thrive. Here’s how we’re using comedy to make that happen.