Entries For: June 2010

Today, United Way’s National Day of Action, found me standing on the corner of Main and Central from 4:15 to 5:15.  We stood there in silence, listening.  Last Tuesday, June 15, 2010, Kacy died.  She is our community’s latest victim of child abuse.  Today wasn’t about the person accused of killing her.  It was about her.  It was about how we, as a community, can do something different.  The idea came to me through a friend’s comment on United Way’s FaceBook page.  Cher wondered how no one could have heard something.  That spurred me to say let’s listen.  Today, people came and listened.  I wonder what they heard and noticed.  I noticed I don’t know as many cars as I knew when I was young.  I noticed I can’t name tunes in 3 notes as cars raced by.  I noticed how many distractions I must have to not notice all the skateboarders, the bicyclists, the walkers who crossed the street so as not to be with us.  Did they cross out of fear, out of confusion, out of lack of interest or out of what?  Sadly, I’ll never know.  I know only they crossed the street.  Would I in some other situation?  I don’t know.  If faced with it in the future, I’ll react differently.  I’ll think before I cross the street.

I thought about all the things I think about usually between 4 and 5:30, usually it’s work stuff, sometimes it’s family stuff.  Today I thought about a dear person in my life who lost her mom this weekend.  I thought about my younger sister’s father-in-law and his valiant fight against pancreatic cancer.  I thought about another sister and her potential need of a liver transplant.  I was moved about Kacy.  Right before going off to listen, a woman approached me.  She asked if I was responsible for this.  I thought of course not.  Sadly Kacy is why we’re here.  A little girl I’ll never know.  A little girl who’s voice and laughter her family will never hear again.  She then said she was Kacy’s grandma.  I couldn’t believe that in a community’s sorrow, there was a grieving grandmother in our midst.  I was honored, humbled and amazed she shared her grief with us.  To her, I am deeply grateful.  Sometimes we don’t want to be held up as the example.  Sometimes we don’t have a choice.  She didn’t.  My thoughts and prayers are with Kacy’s family and loved ones.

I heard the song, Teach Your Children.  I couldn’t remember the words, just the chorus.  I looked it up for those of you humming right now.  And to Graham Nash and to Kacy and to those who stood and listened on the corner of Main and Central and to those who joined in silence in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, California, Portland, British Columbia, and Japan, thank you.

Teach Your Children
by Graham Nash

You, who are on the road
Must have a code
That you can live by.
And so, become yourself
Because the past
Is just a goodbye.

Teach, your children well
Their father's hell
Did slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick's
The one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why
If they told you, you would die
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.

And you (Can you hear and)
Of tender years (Do you care and)
Can't know the fears (Can you see we)
That your elders grew by (Must be free to)
And so please help (Teach your children)
Them with your youth (You believe and)
They seek the truth (Make a world that)
Before they can die (We can live in)

Teach your parents well
Their children’s hell
Will slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick's
The one you’ll know by.

Don’t you ever ask them why
If they told you, you would cry
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.

Today, members of CAN (Child Abuse Network) came together to listen.  There are so many ways to show up in the lives of children.  There are so many resources.  There are resources on the volunteer page on our website.  There are numerous child abuse prevention resources on www.mailtribune.com/dontturnaway.  Please don’t turn away.  We can’t anymore.  There don’t have to be more Kacys.  We can show in the lives of children, in the lives of our neighbors, in the lives of our community.  We don’t do this work because it’s important, because it’s right, because we must, we do it because we CAN.  Join us!

Today's guest blog is from Suzanne Zapf.  Suzanne came to our board, and quickly became chair of our Raising Awareness Council.  She helped to fundamentally put in place our strategy platform to launch Live United.  And she does and so does her daughter Zoe.  Suzanne exempifies the following Confucious quote:  "To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right."  Without sometimes knowing, Suzanne helps to put our hearts right.  Enjoy her blog...

What a great volunteer fair this past Wednesday, presented by United Way of Jackson County and other community partners!  We had over 50 agencies seeking volunteers as hundreds of potential volunteers streamed into our large KOBI studio space for the 2 hour event.  Some of the agencies represented at the fair included the Consumer Credit Counseling Service, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), the Family Nurturing Center, and the Ashland Film Festival.  The diverse set of agencies at the fair reflects the very diverse needs of our community!  United Way’s hope is that potential volunteers find positions and internships that fit their skills and interests.  Check out the the website for a full description of volunteer opportunities and contact information for all the agencies represented at the fair.

On a personal note, my 7-year-old daughter Zoe and I had a rockin’ time!  We partnered with Peggy Wisneski at the United Way table, and Zoe and Peggy became fast friends.  Peggy, in between deep discussions with Zoe about Cinderella, cultivated relationships with many new United Way and WiLL (Women Living Leadership) volunteers.  The afternoon culminated in Zoe winning a Goodwill matchbox truck in the drawing, which absolutely thrilled her!  Thank you to Rita Vance, WiLL and the United Way staff for organizing such a terrific event.  Sign us up to help with next year’s event, our 3^rd annual volunteer fair.  We’ll be there.