24
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Veterans
honor local
student
Ana Gilbert received a
State of Oregon VFW medal
and certificate of merit for her
VFW Patriot Pen essay at a
recent Sisters VFW Post 8138
meeting.
She submitted the piece to
the local post in October.
Family present were her
grandparents and her brother,
Eric. Ana was selected from
all students who wrote essays
in District 10 (which encom-
passes all Central Oregon,
including Warm Springs). Ana
won $200 from the local post
this year, another award at
District 10 in Bend, to repre-
sent District 10 in Salem, was
awarded another $200 from
the State of Oregon VFW in
Salem, and another $300 from
State VFW Womens Auxiliary
for placing fifth in the state.
<Ana did an exceptional
job expressing her patriotism
and thankfulness for all veter-
ans,= said Bill Anttila, service
officer of VFW Post 8138.
<Her grandparents were grate-
ful to VFW for offering this
award, and stated it was a very
proud moment for them. We,
the men and women of Sisters
Post 8138 are proud of Ana,
too, and we salute her for her
achievement.=
PHOTO PROVIDED
Pat Bowe presents a check to Ana
Gilbert for a Patriot Pen entry.
In the
PINES
By T. Lee Brown
Community — one
mistake at a time
The word <community=
used to imply something
fairly innocuous 4 a group of
people who have something
in common, like living in the
same neighborhood.
Then it became a touch-
stone for all that is warm
and fuzzy, glowy and good.
Creative types, Nosy Nellies,
and compulsive do-gooders
seem particularly susceptible
to its charms. And yes, those
descriptions apply to me.
It9s an inspiring word for
folks who genuinely want to
make life better 4 and not
just for their own selves and
families.
Community. The word
conjures an invisible con-
gregation in my mind, in an
imaginary church, singing
together in perfect harmony.
My imagination doesn9t
zoom in too close, doesn9t
require me to shake hands
with each congregant 4
much less do them a favor that
might inconvenience me.
Some people tell ourselves
we9re doing things <for the
community,= but what the
heck does it really mean?
Probably 80 percent of my
so-called community work
involves me having meet-
ings with other would-be do-
gooders, or sitting all alone
in front of a computer. Is that
community?
What happens when
people in the community
need our help 4 not our
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attendance at a catered fun-
draiser, not our slogan on a
beautifully crafted flyer, but
our hands-on help? What hap-
pens when we are confronted
with real human beings,
rather than a foggy mass that
allegedly benefits from our
altruistic, self-proclaimed
community-mindedness?
Recently I had cause to
explore these questions. A vol-
unteer I know made a signifi-
cant mistake of a bureaucratic
nature. Let9s call her <Sarah.=
A young working mom
with a hectic schedule, Sarah
is not her real name, but she
is a real person in the Sisters
community.
The mistake she made led
her to ask for help and collab-
oration from a couple commu-
nity organizations 4 ones that
operate with full-time staff,
decades of experience in the
nonprofit and business sec-
tors, and/or serious revenue.
Due to the nature of
Sarah9s error, these orgs hold
the keys to getting Sarah and
her little group out of this
mess. But to help her, the orgs
would have to collaborate
with her. They9d have to share.
Which might be a big ol9
logistical pain in the rear.
But I figure that9s what real
community does. It collabo-
rates. It shares. Collaboration,
sharing, and hassles are the
building blocks of which true
community is made. Smooth
sailing doesn9t bond people
to each other. Crisis does. Ask
anyone who9s been through
an accident, death in the fam-
ily, or a near-miss from a for-
est fire.
Ask author Rebecca
Solnit. She researched how
people behave in the wake of
disasters. She writes:
<What startled me about
the response to disaster was
not the virtue, since virtue is
often the result of diligence
and dutifulness, but the pas-
sionate joy that shined out
from accounts by people who
had barely survived.=
She goes on, <These peo-
ple who had lost everything,
who were living in rubble
or ruins, had found agency,
meaning, community, imme-
diacy in their work together
with other survivors.=
We don9t have to wait for
a war or an earthquake to
develop real community. We
can do it today, when smaller
problems like Sarah9s arise.
Her situation got me think-
ing. Real community isn9t a
mission statement: it9s a series
of actions. Many of them
aren9t written into anybody9s
five-year plan or given a line
item on a budget.
Real community makes
dinner for your neighbor9s
family after their dad goes
in for surgery. It frees your
driveway of snow because
hey, it already had the snow-
blower out.
Real community tries to
put out the fire in your barn.
If the barn burns down? Real
community raises a new one.
It lends valuable equipment
to scrappy performers.
Shows up for the picnic on
an uncomfortably hot day.
Gives you a call when you9re
having a hard time4not just
when it wants something.
Real community takes the
time to help people, even if
they9re imperfect, wield little
financial or social power, or
don9t fit our demographic
ideal.
If they9re young and make
rookie mistakes, so much
the better. Real community
understands that the young
adults of today, with their lack
of bureaucratic experience,
their demanding families and
day jobs, are the community
leaders of tomorrow.
So. What are these organi-
zations going to do for Sarah?
My hopeful side believes
they9ll see an opportunity
for synergy and lend a hand.
They9ll share their resources,
knowledge, and collaborative
spirit. My inner cynic thinks
they9ll wear a big ol9 smile as
they gently but firmly push
her aside.
I tell my cynical side to
hush up, that things are gonna
be just fine for Sarah. Because
in Sisters, we don9t just drop
the C word for show. We have
the heart and generosity to
build real community, one
mistake at a time.
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