The Idea Is Conceived
Although I have been dwelling upon a program such as this for a number of years, the specific impetus to action and the realization that its success would definitely materialize occurred in the early 2000’s when The Republican published a story about a lady who lost $800 while doing Christmas shopping. Readers quickly donated far more than the aforementioned sum to replace the loss, even though this incident, while unfortunate, was not necessarily a critical, deadly situation of hardship, and it was not even likely that the woman was desperately poor and struggling daily. This financial accident did jolt me into recalling that various upsetting circumstances have been reported by the media, only to generate a positive response among the population.
I have also known that there are many citizens who would gladly help to reduce the suffering of others, especially if: a) they identified with the problem; b) the need were truly important, perhaps even life-altering; c) the process for providing assistance was simple, wherein the donor could be acknowledged and could publicly honor a loved one or special memory. The need for assistance is there, and the resources for this program are available!
In order to launch this humanitarian and charitable venture, the required ingredients are publicity, sponsors willing to absorb advertising costs, and effort from social agencies whose task it is anyway to work in this area. With everyone’s “eyes on the prize,” the H.E.R.O. Program could be one of hope and improvement for the neediest among us existing daily at a subsistence or poverty level. At the least, isn’t this program one of those things in life that is worthwhile to attempt? Let’s do it!