Greetings and salutations. It is I, Graham.

Lately we have been exploring some new ideas, a collection of “what if”s to help explore and explain who Clevenger and I are, both as writers and as people. Last week we discussed wish fulfillment, and today we are delving into the other popular daydream.

What would you do with $5 million dollars?

Well, let’s answer the big question first: Yes, I would continue writing. In fact, I would likely write more, because I would not have other worries and responsibilities hanging over my head. I write because I have stories to get out of my head, not because I ever expect them to financially support me. Touching on what I mentioned in my wishes last week. I don’t care if I am insanely wealthy. I would never be comfortable being one of the 1%. I want enough money that I can not worry about money. Bills paid, friends helped, travel convenient, and I am satisfied.

Seriously, if I was given that kind of life-changing wealth, I would invest around a million of it in reliable ways, giving me 3-5% interest a year, $30-50 thousand a year to cover all bills,moderate travel, and hobbies without ever digging into the principal. Myself, Clevenger, and Rowe (my other best friend) would each get a house paid for, free and clear. That would be enough to make me happy. This would leave me a lot of money left over to play with. Well over three million.

When I say “play with”, I mean investing. Not in wealth, but in people. America’s capitalist society doesn’t easily formulate ways to help people. I have three primary ways that I would like to help people. This would require researching where and how to help, so as to see if existing programs are available that I can help fund, or if I would do better starting my own. I have three primary areas that I would really love to have the philanthropic means to help others.

First, foster kids. From everything I have seen and heard, if a child is in the CPS system and in any way comes out as LGBT, whether gay, bi, trans, or anything else, they are practically guaranteed not to be fostered, much less adopted. It is pretty much a one-way ticket to a group home. I know so many gay and lesbian individuals, married or not, who would love to foster or adopt and are pretty much barred. Even if I had this hypothetical $5 million, I would not be cleared to foster or adopt, simply because I am a single gay man. So be it. In that case, if LGBT system kids have to live in group homes, let me build and staff some quality group homes. Even if it is a handful of kids at a time, let me help the ones I can. I wouldn’t exclude straight or cis kids, but these homes would be as inclusive and “found family” as possible.

Second, college. I have seen so many LGBT 20 something’s that drift around and couch surf, because they weren’t quite kicked out as teens, but they were also not encouraged, not supported, and the second they turned 18, they were, politely or not, encouraged to leave home. Let me take over some motel or apartment complex near a community college, fix it up, and start inviting some of these kids to come live there. Teach them how to get on their feet. Work out something with the dean of the community college for reduced tuition for all of them to attend, get certifications or degrees, as their abilities and education allows. Teach these abandoned young adults how to be self-supporting adults.

Finally, small businesses. Most small business attempts fail in the first year. It was once described to me that for a successful small business: “The first year you lose your shirt. The second year you don’t sunburn. The third year you get to buy back your shirt. And the fourth year, you finally get to buy a new shirt.” So what if I were to change all that? Buy some of these abandoned and derelict strip malls, renovate them into storefronts, and invite new small businesses into the spaces. Give them a year of free rent, perhaps just enough to cover the insurance on the building, maybe not even that. In exchange, they commit to using that first year to grow inventory and customer base, and commit to staying for at least two more years after that, at a proper rental amount. Details to be worked out, but the point is, help get locally owned small businesses off the ground. Bonus points if I can get cross-shopping business types into one strip mall. Get a game store, fast food place, bookshop, and a few other similar businesses into one area, sharing customers. But again, motivating small businesses.

So there you have it. Could $3 million accomplish all three of these on the scale I would appreciate seeing? Probably not. But if managed appropriately, could they help change even a handful of lives? They could, they would, and I would absolutely love to do it. Until I have the kind of money to do this,

Don’t forget to love one another.

Graham