Even when she isn’t feeling the best due to her own problems, 12-year-old Kori Brown keeps planning, raising funds and working for others, especially those stricken with cancer.
The Maconaquah sixth-grader’s dedication to and zeal for raising funds for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in spite of her own congenital blood disease led producers of the ABC television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to choose her family as the recipients of a brand-new home that was unveiled Tuesday.
Numerous businesses and hundreds, if not thousands, of people volunteered to help tear down the old house and build a new one for the Cowan-Brown family. Volunteers worked throughout the day and night to make sure the house was completed on time. So many volunteers turned out at times that there were too many to work on the home site. Many were sent to work for organizations in Kokomo that needed help.
But now that the lights and cameras are gone and the show’s producers are sorting through hundreds of hours of videotape to create the January show, the need for volunteers in the Cass, Miami, Howard, Pulaski and Carroll county areas remains.
Plenty of area organizations who support individual and community needs, hospitals and nursing homes, schools and museums, youth sports and Scout groups all are in need of volunteers to give a boost to their activities. The directors of all those groups will tell you the volunteers are at the heart of their services.
Let’s take the effort that began last week and turn it into an everyday occurrence. Take time out of your life and volunteer. It doesn’t have to be working on a home, although groups such as Habitat for Humanity would certainly appreciate the help.
Take time to coach young people in sports or take them camping. Spend a few minutes each week helping someone learn to read or to help a child with homework.
Volunteer to spend time with an elderly person confined to their home or a health-care facility. It brightens their days, and it will make you feel better about yourself.
Don’t let the spirit of volunteerism die now that the TV crew has come and gone because one thing is certain: Kori won’t quit just because someone has recognized her efforts.
That young woman is probably already looking for a new way to raise money for Relay for Life.
Editorials
Let’s keep that spirit of volunteerism alive
- Editorials
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Postal service listens to small towns
The U.S. Postal Service plans to keep smaller post offices open by scaling back the hours at those and other offices. The postal service deserves credit for listening to the concerns of its customers.
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A history lesson on two wheels
The Cass County Historical Society staged its second annual bike tour last weekend. The event raises money for a great cause while offering participants to get some exercise and learn a bit of local history.
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Stormwater fees about to go up
The Logansport Stormwater Management Board is considering a 51-percent increase in its monthly rate. The board is about to launch into a huge project, and residents would do well to tune into the process.
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A day to say thanks to moms
Today is Mother’s Day, an observance that dates back more than a century. Mothers everywhere deserve our gratitude for the love they showed and the lessons they taught.
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Six-to-Six program offers promise
A new program called Six-to-Six aims to work with middle school students facing suspension from school. Catching issues when kids are still in middle school should cut down on the number of teenagers who go on to drop out of school or wind up in jail.
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Council can’t have it both ways
The Logansport City Council is considering an ordinance eliminating the requirement that police officers and firefighters provide receipts in order to collect their annual uniform allowance. If the council wants to ensure the money is well spent, it should reject this ordinance.
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That weight problem hasn’t gone away
A report issued this week predicts that more than 40 percent of us will be obese by 2030. The way to tackle this problem is for every one of us to take ownership of it and take steps to address it.
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Today’s the day to cast ballots
Both political parties have important contests on today’s primary election ballot, and residents have a civic duty to take part in the process.
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Everyone should be on same page
The Logansport-Cass County Economic Development Foundation expressed concern last week as the city discussed plans to allocate more money toward an international marketing effort. Spending money on marketing Logansport and Cass County is a good idea, but it’s important that our leaders coordinate their economic development efforts.
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.Refusing to give up on students
The number of suspensions is dropping at Logansport High School. Keeping kids in school means a higher graduation rate and a better educated work force.
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