05-18-2014, 11:17 AM
DB likes to give me the biz about being a small town hayseed. Were the roles reversed I'd probably do the same thing. But I have to say small town values have grown on me.
My daughter is an only child and likes to participate in a lot of outside activities, probably so she can interact with other kids as much as to learn new skills. She's active in gymnastics, softball, dance and baton, girl scouts, as well as summer tennis, bible camp, and basketball camp.
Every year the dance studios in Kalamazoo do a fund raiser for a single child. They send a half dozen of the better groups to perform, the parents send baked goods, and some talented parents sew dance apparel to be sold.
The child the raised money for this year is 7 years old. She is paralyzed from the waist down and wants to learn how to dance in her wheelchair. To top it off this poor child's parents and brother were killed last year in a car accident and she now lives with her grandmother in Ohio.
Schoolcraft donates the use of their auditorium, and a handful of parents and studio owners do the rest. In three hours they raised $8,000, of which every PENNY goes to this child and not a dime to administrative costs.
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Every Thanksgiving the Methodist Church on Main St. (US 131) has a flashing sign alerting travelers that they can stop in and have Thanksgiving Dinner at no charge. They don't ask for money or donations, but people seem to leave money in spades.
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On Thursday's during football season the local barber cuts the players hair for free. Moms drop off pastries, and the kids keep on showing up. He's been doing it for 25 years.
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On game days the Methodist church offers dinner for $5. The local yocals turn out in spades and then head down to the stadium for the game. Food is good, crowds are good, team is almost always good, my daughter has been an Eagle fan since Kindergarten.
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On July 4th they have a parade. The route is about a mile long. Both sides of the street are filled 5 deep. I don't know who organizes it, but the turnout is massive. At night they put on a huge fireworks show, all privately funded.
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When my daughter sold Girl Scout cookies she sold 82 boxes in two days going door to door. When the Boy Scouts did their pop can drive they had a truck and a trailer full of bags of cans. People appreciate effort, and they like putting a face to their donation.
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So what's the point of all this????
Small town, can do values seem to work. Good people identify a problem and attempt to solve it. They learn from their mistakes and they improve on it.
I grew up in a town where everyone was good at pointing out problems and then turning to the city and asking, "Now how are you going to solve this???!!!" That town is dying as we speak.
Even in Kalamazoo if there's a island median in need of upkeep I'll see a half dozen old ladies planting flowers. They're now waiting around for others to solve the problem.
It's those kind of small town values I've come to admire, and wish that we'd get back to.
My daughter is an only child and likes to participate in a lot of outside activities, probably so she can interact with other kids as much as to learn new skills. She's active in gymnastics, softball, dance and baton, girl scouts, as well as summer tennis, bible camp, and basketball camp.
Every year the dance studios in Kalamazoo do a fund raiser for a single child. They send a half dozen of the better groups to perform, the parents send baked goods, and some talented parents sew dance apparel to be sold.
The child the raised money for this year is 7 years old. She is paralyzed from the waist down and wants to learn how to dance in her wheelchair. To top it off this poor child's parents and brother were killed last year in a car accident and she now lives with her grandmother in Ohio.
Schoolcraft donates the use of their auditorium, and a handful of parents and studio owners do the rest. In three hours they raised $8,000, of which every PENNY goes to this child and not a dime to administrative costs.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Every Thanksgiving the Methodist Church on Main St. (US 131) has a flashing sign alerting travelers that they can stop in and have Thanksgiving Dinner at no charge. They don't ask for money or donations, but people seem to leave money in spades.
----------------------------------------------------------------
On Thursday's during football season the local barber cuts the players hair for free. Moms drop off pastries, and the kids keep on showing up. He's been doing it for 25 years.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On game days the Methodist church offers dinner for $5. The local yocals turn out in spades and then head down to the stadium for the game. Food is good, crowds are good, team is almost always good, my daughter has been an Eagle fan since Kindergarten.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
On July 4th they have a parade. The route is about a mile long. Both sides of the street are filled 5 deep. I don't know who organizes it, but the turnout is massive. At night they put on a huge fireworks show, all privately funded.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When my daughter sold Girl Scout cookies she sold 82 boxes in two days going door to door. When the Boy Scouts did their pop can drive they had a truck and a trailer full of bags of cans. People appreciate effort, and they like putting a face to their donation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
So what's the point of all this????
Small town, can do values seem to work. Good people identify a problem and attempt to solve it. They learn from their mistakes and they improve on it.
I grew up in a town where everyone was good at pointing out problems and then turning to the city and asking, "Now how are you going to solve this???!!!" That town is dying as we speak.
Even in Kalamazoo if there's a island median in need of upkeep I'll see a half dozen old ladies planting flowers. They're now waiting around for others to solve the problem.
It's those kind of small town values I've come to admire, and wish that we'd get back to.
