A giving community full of heroes

In the last couple weeks, this community has shone brightly with examples of strength and good will and a readiness to step up and do what is needed.

First, people immediately stepped up to answer a communitywide need: to support an important park at North Dam, home of many community events and activities, giving thousands to keep it in operation this summer, even knowing that a full solution has yet to be found for the basic underlying problem.

Next, the Siam Palace and many volunteers arranged to put on a dinner to raise money to help a family whose child is diagnosed with leukemia. It’s hard to think of a situation that can seem less fair, and we should expect to see more effort to come here. Kudos to Mark Piturachsatit and those who helped him with this.

Then last week, Brian Walters saved a 7-year-old girl’s life. She had been underwater at a resort on Soap Lake. She was not breathing and blue. Walters, a UPS driver, happened on the scene and put his training as a former police office and a volunteer firefighter to good use, giving her CPR along with a woman who was a guest at the Smokiam Resort.

And yesterday, firefighters in Douglas County Fire District 3 and several other local firefighters jumped on a wildfire near Leahy junction that started early in the morning. They fought it all day, adjusting to wind changes and enduring triple-digit heat.

That last scenario may well be repeated again this summer. Let us never grow tired of thanking the volunteers who take on that work, and all those who step up to a crucial need and who embrace the idea Brian posted later on his Facebook: “Each day is an unrepeatable miracle. Today will never happen again, so we must make it count,” attributed to John Maxwell.

Thanks to all for making your days count.

Scott Hunter

Editor and publisher