"Look for the Helpers"

Our hearts go out to the people of Oklahoma, especially the children who were in school when the tornado hit.  It's been a tough Spring -- Boston; West, TX; Bangladesh.  And each time something happens we are reminded of the advice that Mr. Rogers heard from his mother and has passed on to us -- "Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping."  Once again, we are in crisis mode, and once again the amazing people of the United States are stepping up.  Donations are pouring in.  Oklahoma City will be rebuilt.  We will move forward.

There are different kinds of helpers, however.  There are the crisis moment helpers -- some of the bravest and most wonderful people you will ever meet.  Firefighters, EMTs, neighbors, the National Guard, doctors, nurses, volunteers -- I can't imagine how we would ever make it without these people.  But some helpers look at things at a different scale.  Last night Bill Nye was on CNN with Piers Morgan and they spoke about the possibility that the severity of this storm was caused by climate change.  Nye made the point that 10 of the last 12 years have been the hottest on record and that thunderstorms (including tornado storms) are driven by heat.  The conclusion is obvious.  I remember Bill Nye talking about what humans do to our environment when my children watched him in the late 90s.  He mentioned the effects of global warming on hurricanes on Larry King after Hurricane Katrina, 8 years ago.  Nye is looking beyond the immediate crisis and is trying to find the causes of the crises.  He, too, is a helper.

I am reminded by Dom Helder Camara's famous quote: "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint.  When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist."  We need people who give food to the poor -- but we also need "communists."  We need people who will look for the causes and seek to rectify them.  These people do not fill our airwaves, we do not have 24/7 coverage of the search for causes the way we do have 24/7 coverage of the search for survivors.  It is long, painstaking work.  But the people who do it are helpers, too.  They are trying to make the changes that help us avoid crises in the future.

At LEAP we are also trying to work on the long term changes needed to forstall disaster for children living in poverty.  Sometimes it is easier to see and identify with the pain of a crisis -- it is very clear and our response is immediate and heartfelt.  It is more difficult to see the pain of ongoing, grinding poverty and hunger.  But it, too, destroys lives.  Today, our focus is on Oklahoma.  But tomorrow, we will roll up our sleeves and continue working on the chronic problems facing some wonderful children.  I hope you'll help.