Anna J. Fortenberry

Some people want to help others…just “because.”
Some people want to make a difference in their community…just “because.”  And while there are many people who do things around here, many times we don’t even know who you are or how we can thank you.  These people do nice things without expecting anything in return but we need to offer a “thanks” to those we know of and all those we don’t.  We may not know who you are, but your good deeds are noticed.
Take the story on page 6 about Gene and Iris Smith.  Their story is one of volunteering and caring for their “family” of kids at the Lincoln Charter Elementary School.  While they have no children going to school there, they have volunteered over the last eight years to open the car doors every morning to help the kids get out and on into school,  and to keep that endless line of cars moving.
Then there is Susan Davis and the Community Garden committee (I’m sorry I don’t know who all is on this committee or who even came up with the idea), along with the East Lincoln Garden Club and even the Boy Scouts who have gotten involved.   They have come up with a plan to start a community garden near Sally’s Y for people who might want to have a garden plot but have no space at their homes.  The idea is that people will help each other…  Be able to “grow a little, get a little, and give a little.”  That way when the garden “runneth over” with produce, others can share in the bounty.   It’s an idea that many small communities recently have adopted, allowing individuals to grow crops in a public area and share the wealth of the produce.
Then we have people who pick up trash on the side of the road, people who see something potentially dangerous floating in the lake and pick it up before someone runs into it, people who clean the trash dumped on the lake islands, people who work for non-profit organizations (free, of course) and people who do things like work in the garden at our library and spend some laborious hours keeping the trail through the woods in good shape.  The list of good-deed doers goes on.
You should know if you’ve done an unseen act of kindness or done something to better your community that you are appreciated.
Maybe there are no parades for you, pats on the back or thank-you notes written.  But what you do is important and very much appreciated by many.
Thanks for caring about the place we all call home!

Posted by admin on Jun 8 2012. Filed under Anna's Column. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.