Passing passions

Once upon a time...
I used to watch movies and shows about this or that person who had dedicated their lives to a cause.
Saving elephants, educating the poorest children, fighting poverty, reintroducing wolves, monitoring bird migrations, saving rainforests.
I grew up in an era of doing good works. peace corps, save the children, unicef. A world filled with a passionate need to improve their world beyond their own front yard. But that era seems to have diminished.
And people seem more plugged into the idea of making enough to get by and get a few goodies along the way. "He with the most toys when he dies wins" or something like that.
 As I shift my work situation from working with youth at risk to a more varied and nebulous mission I feel a bit lost from all the dedication and passion I felt at my last job. I am hoping I will find it again as I get my feet firmly planted in this new job, but I wonder. when I take a step back and ask myself where I would like to find my passion, my practical side reminds me about bills to be paid and possibly huge medical expenses. I have no interest in having the most toys, but I would like to not be living out of a dumpster when I die.
I also have to ask if passions are temporal. focus on the now and dedicate yourself to whatever you are doing, rather than do what you are inclined to dedicate yourself to.
When that question comes up of who I would most like to be like when I grew up my heroes were wildlife conservationists and educators. Maybe someday, when I can catch my breath and focus on more than the here and now I can once more follow that passion instead of trying to bring passion to something else.