In the face of tragedy, we try to make sense of what has happened and what we have lost as a community. We search for words to express our sorrows and our sympathies. We seek out ways to help those in need but find ourselves limited in resources, time, money or all three.
There is always something that can be done in the face of adversity. People of all ages in all types of situations have the ingrained ability to reach out and volunteer. A lot of people do not extend their help not because they do not desire to but simply because they do not know how. Many people, college students included, feel as though they cannot make a difference.
Harris Stolzenberg is the prime example of how much we are capable of if only we let ourselves be. The high school senior launched Mikey’s Run, an organization dedicated to raising funds for the Boston bombing victims. Specifically, the funds will be donated to prostheses for those injured.
Does this investment require a substantial amount of time? Yes. Harris and some fellow future MIT peers have poured their time and efforts into this organization. But Harris is only a high school senior. His dream and his desire to help are the key components to his success in helping.
Small contributions are often dismissed as trivial.
They’re not.
Purchasing the $10 tees that are sold for countless benefits and organizations helps. In fact, every penny does. Donating an hour to an organization helps. Spreading word about organizations via the Internet and word of mouth helps.
The point is, any contribution at all that is done in the name of selflessness and to assist the suffering helps.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you cannot make a difference, and don’t ever sell yourself short.
SHU campus lost a member of its community this semester. In turn, people from all around the country rallied together to support Seton Hill and offer condolences for the loss of Kristina Quigley. Donations, fundraisers, social media pages, shirts and sports tributes popped up nationally, and the flood of support was incredibly touching.
All of us are capable of something, of finding some way, however small it may seem, to extend our aid, our time and our abilities to those in need.
A sympathy, a prayer, a thought, a written word. These have just as huge an impact as any sum of money.
Use your heart as a guide; not your wallet or the clock. And remember: There’s a hero in all of us.
May the victims of Boston, Sandy Hook and all others suffering a loss or hardship find peace in their time of need.