You Cannot Be Serious
JFK once said, “Life isn’t fair.” He got that right, Sluggo. I was reading a story about a volunteer EMT up in Adams, New York. Don’t ask me where the hell that is. The guy’s name is Bob VanCoughnett. Don’t ask me how the hell to pronounce that, either. Bob volunteered to be an EMT over twenty years ago. He responded to 230 emergency calls last year alone and over all these years has never been paid a dime. Bob also has a full-time job down at the concrete plant. And he’s served as a coach and referee for his kids’ football, baseball, softball, and basketball teams. Busy guy.
If you ask me, a guy like Bob should get the Presidential Medal of Freedom instead of a billionaire like Miriam Adelson. But guys like Bob don’t make the kind of campaign contributions that earn you that title. Instead of campaign contributions, why don’t we look at the contribution to society?
Hey, I’ve been asked by a lotta organizations over the years for recommendations for those so-called "local hero" awards. Usually I recommend Cyn Strycharz, the founder and creative director for the Starlight Youth Theatre. Cyn has been teaching and directing theater in the area for over twenty-five years and Starlight is designed to help kids build self-esteem, communication, and confidence. I’ve also recommended Alex Maldonado, who grew up in a Holyoke housing project. Across five mayors and twenty years, Alex fought to get a skatepark built in Holyoke so kids growing up like he did could have a place to ride and hang out. Alex got it done and what was once a crime-ridden drug dealing spot is now a hub of creativity and positive energy.
Guess what, nobody has ever taken either recommendation. You want to know why? Because to these organizations, their idea of a local hero has nothing to do with serving the community. A local hero is someone who has enough of the right friends and connections. People who will pony up the dough to reserve the banquet tables and fill the ad space in their programs so the organizers can skim a few bucks for themselves and do it all over again next year. It’s always about the buck, Rhubarb O’Toole.
Keep your dukes up.
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