Best known as the wife of President Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan has also done quite a bit of charity work during her lifetime, both as first lady and afterward. Of course she did all of the usual appearances and visits as a politician’s wife, but she particularly supported the Foster Grandparents Program, which connects senior adults with young children needing a positive older influence in their lives, and was instrumental in encouraging its growth in both the United States and Australia. Nancy is also especially known for her participation in the Just Say No drug awareness program which sought to education young people on the dangers of drug use and to encourage them to simply say no to using drugs. She traveled more than 250,000 miles as part of the program, visited drug rehabilitation centers, and appeared on talk shows, television shows, and even a music video to promote awareness of drug abuse. Nancy also invited the first ladies of other nations to join her for a conference on drug abuse and spoke in front of the United Nationals General Assembly on the subject. And of course, we love Nancy simply for being her opinionated but polite, outspoken but genuine, and spunky but kind self. Like all the best first ladies, she wasn’t there just to smile and look pretty, she was a strong right hand to the man in charge and occasionally a nudging conscious too. She captured a lot of attention and gave a lot of attention to some worthy causes. Who knows–maybe Nancy even stopped a few teenagers from doing drugs.
Today, be inspired to…Just say no…to drugs, drinking and driving, overtime, road rage, drama, and uncomfortable shoes.
Photo credit: wikipedia
She Made A Difference 