Being the Change I Wish to See

I was listening to NPR yesterday afternoon on the way to tutoring. One story was so heart-warming and had me in tears that I had to write about it. The discussion was about the U.S. Post Office and what they do with all those letters to Santa each year.

The only time the USPS violates the rule to never open anyone’s mail is at Christmas, and they open the letters to Santa Clause. People, ordinary local citizens of a community, come to read through several letters and pick one or more to provide Christmas presents for a needy family or make someone’s Christmas wish come true. It’s a fantastic way to be philanthropic.

They read a few of the letters on the air, and some of the wishes and requests were heart-breaking. One letter, the one that had me crying, was the letter asking Santa to find her dog, and if he found the dog, she would need a new collar and leash for it.

Kids ask for a new school uniform, basic clothing, a winter coat, or boots to wear in the snow. Some ask for a better job for their mom or dad. The postmaster interviewed said that many kids ask for necessities, and too often not any toys or luxuries at all. Those are the kids he and his community want to reach.

This is a great way to help kids who write those heart-breaking letters to Santa in your community. Volunteer at your local main post office, read through the letters to Santa and pick one or more to “answer”.

Make Christmas wishes come true for one or more kids and their families in your community.

Technorati Tags: Answer Letters to Santa, being the change i wish to see, Christmas, Letters to Santa, Philanthropy

\\ tags: Answer Letters to Santa, being the change i wish to see, Christmas, Letters to Santa, Philanthropy

An email is being circulated, and is still going around, that Denzel Washington visited injured troops at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX, in December 2004. He and his family did visit BAMC at that time. However, the email contains rumors about a charitable donation Mr. Washington made and some contain rumors that his son was in the military. Denzel Washington and his family toured BAMC and one of the Fisher Houses, visited with troops hospitalized at BAMC, and took part in a Purple Heart ceremony for 3 Army soldiers wounded in Iraq.

Mr. Washington made a sizable donation to the Fisher House Foundation after his visit. He did not take out his check book and write a check for the entire amount on the spot. Fisher House President David Coker said in a later interview that Mr. Washington doesn’t generally carry his check book with him. His eldest son was not in the military at that time. He was a senior at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA.

I think it’s wonderful that Mr. Washington and his family visited troops, supports them, and gave substantially to make their recovery from war injuries a little easier. I wish a lot more celebrities would be a whole lot more supportive of our troops, and especially our injured troops.

It appears the embellishment of this good deed came with the close announcements of the construction of a new Fisher House at Fort Sam Houston and the receipt of Denzel Washington’s substantial donation to the Fisher House Foundation. No one is sure who started the rumor that Mr. Washington took out his checkbook and wrote a check during his visit.

Isn’t the act of visiting our troops, encouraging them, making their hospital stay just a little bit brighter and making the donation the real issue? It doesn’t matter if the donation was made on the spot or if it covered the entire cost of a new facility.

Brooke Army Medical Center is one of the top military hospitals in the world offering many specialties and sub-specialties including: Burn Unit, Bone Marrow Transplants, Trauma, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, Gynecology, Cardiothoracic Surgery and Oncology.

Fisher Houses (one is pictured above) are low-cost hotels within walking distance of on-base medical facilities for the families of the military who are hospitalized and recovering from illness, injury or disease. Everyone who is sick or injured recovers more quickly and with better outcomes when they are surrounded by their loved ones, military or civilian. Fisher Houses make it affordable (~$10/day) for military families to stay close to their hospitalized military member.

Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX, is known as the Home of the Combat Medic. Today, Fort Sam Houston is the largest and most important military medical training facility in the world. The role of the combat medic has grown as medical knowledge and technology have grown. They are the emergency medical technicians of the military and are the first line of treatment when a soldier, marine, sailor or airman is injured or falls ill. They provide essential treatment to stabilize and evacuate sick and injured military personnel to the next line of treatment, often a field hospital or hospital ship. More military personnel survive combat injuries and illnesses than ever before because of the expertise of combat medics. If you visit the Post’s website, be sure to click on the “About” link and read the history of Fort Sam Houston. It’s been a significant military installation since 1845.

I hope you will click on the links and learn more about the Fisher House Foundation and Fort Sam Houston, and how you can make a donation of money, time, and even airline frequent flier miles so family members can fly to the location of their loved one. Other programs are also available to the military and their family members. Many military families don’t have the financial resources to afford travel and accommodations without assistance. They really need your help and support.

Too many Americans today have forgotten or never learned that freedom isn’t free. Many young men and women gave and continue to give their lives or live with devastating life-long injuries to protect and preserve the freedoms we enjoy. The next time you want to complain about the war or protest it or even burn a flag, remember that soldiers died to protect your right to do so.

Source: Snopes.com