|
Back Issues |
|
Working
Together . Saving
the Children ... One of the effects of the September 11th attacks was that people began to reach out to others in ways that may not have otherwise, or at least not when they did. Among those reaching out to help, there have been numerous groups in and around the Valley which raised money for all sorts of things -- from victim relief in New York City, to the Red Cross, to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. A couple of those efforts took place in Hinesburg, pretty much unrelated, except for the fact that at least some of the proceeds from each went to UNICEF. ... The
Great Pumpkin transformed ... In early September, the group had already begun to rehearse. Then came September 11th. ... "Much of what we do involves humor," said Sally Reiss, who, with her husband Chuck, has been part of the driving force behind The Great Pumpkin show each year. "And a lot of the humor in the show comes out of our rehearsals, as we sometimes improvise." But in the wake on September 11th, the cast was palpably uncomfortable, and folks had "a hard time imagining" themselves putting on a comic venture. "We struggled with the decision," said Reiss. The troupe contemplated canceling the show. But, on the side of things, they were reluctant to give up on what has always been a wonderful way of bringing the community together. It was in the midst of that struggle that they decided instead to "redefine it." In the midst of that redefining work, the group decided on one show instead of their usual three. And there would be one bus instead of the usual shuttle runs which scurry back and forth between the outdoor performance space, just beyond Ballard's at the Community Park, and the CVU parking lot. "We felt like we needed to do something," said Reiss. "But we would have been happy if 50 people showed up." In the midst of the re-thinking, others got involved. Caroline Nickerson, who had been working on raising funds for UNICEF, wondered whether the proceeds might not best go to the children who would be desperately needing help in Afghanistan. She was already co-ordinating the traditional Halloween UNICEF drive anyway. There was also some interest in donating some of whatever money might be raised to the Red Cross. Ted & Jill White picked up on concessions and helped to boost the proceeds that way. In the end, about 100 folks showed up for the event -- twice what anyone was expecting. Some, though not all of the show's traditional characters were present, including Cowboy Bob and, of course, the Great Pumpkin. ... And in the end, what would have been yet another in a long list of cancellations actually became something that helped both to build community in Hinesburg, and help children half-way around the world. The practice of karma yoga ... "A lot of people are taking yoga now, and there are more people teaching it than ever," she said. "But, at least in some cases," she added. "It seems to be turning into just another way to get exercise." Wisniewski then went on to explain that, while yoga is great for physical toning and strengthening, there's much more to it than that. "Yoga is part of a spiritual discipline," she explained. "The physical side -- the hatha yoga -- is wonderful. But there's something about taking it completely out of that larger context that makes me uneasy." Wisniewski noted that, among the other aspects of yogic discipline is karma yoga. Karma yoga, or the yoga of "right action," is supposed to be both one of the fruits of hatha yoga, as well as corollary to it. Essentially, the more one practices the breathing and postures of hatha yoga, the more one ought to be able to "bring it back out in right action." It was in that context that, while thinking about the events of September 11th one day, Wisniewski decided to offer a yoga workshop for any and all interested ... and to donate the proceeds to UNICEF. With a little advertising and some word of mouth, the workshop drew a dozen students. "People were really wonderful," she said. "They were supportive of the idea. But they also appreciated the opportunity to do something that felt like it was making a contribution." As an afterthought, Wisniewski also mentioned a little anecdote. Evidently, while at Lantman's IGA after the workshop, she ran into a neighbor who told her she was sorry she'd missed the workshop, but wanted to contribute anyway. "I don't know that it made an enormous difference," Wisniewski said. "But at the very least, it felt like the right thing to do." The events of September 11th will not altogether fade any time soon, even for those of us these hundreds of miles away from the actual disasters. But so long as people like the Reiss's, the White's, Caroline Nickerson ... and the many others who performed similar acts of kindness and generosity ... continue to be around, so much the more can we find some affirmation in what it means to be of service.
. ******* ******* If you would like to submit something for our Community Service feature, or if you simply would like to suggest something you think we ought to cover, e-mail us at ... autotravel@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* |
|
*******
******* ******* ******* For more information, contact DownStreet Magazine by ...
Phone
(802) 453-5124 All
material copyrighted © 2000-2001. All rights
reserved. |
