Time to give
As the trees around us change colour and begin to brighten, it seems the world is doing the exact opposite and descending into darkness.
In the last 10 days alone, there have been a number of terrifying and deadly terrorist attacks, most notably the shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead and injured hundreds more. There was an attack in Edmonton where a perpetrator, now being labeled as a lone wolf, stabbed a police officer before running him, and four other pedestrians, down with a U-Haul truck. Two women were also stabbed to death at a Marseille train station in France in what is now being labeled a “likely” terrorist incident.
Looking at these events can trigger a range of emotions from anger, to fear, to confusion, and watching the media coverage of these attacks on the Internet or television can provide one with more than enough of all three.
However, once these internal reactions have passed, we must turn our attentions to the external and fight back against these multitudes of evil with multitudes of compassion.
A number of charities are currently working to help the victims and the families of those killed in the Las Vegas attacks, and this would be a perfect place to direct your willingness to help, and is a great way to provide direct assistance to those impacted the most. A GoFundMe campaign by well-known YouTube personality Casey Neistat has raised nearly $300,000 in a single week for this very worthy cause.
With that said, this need to do good should also be directed to our own backyards, and while Oshawa has been safe from terrifying incidents like those witnessed in other parts of this country and the world, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t those in need.
Two stories in this edition of the paper can provide perfectly suitable avenues for helping the less fortunate.
Jim Fergusson, for the 29th year, is running the Food for Clothing exchange, which allows residents to donate food in exchange for much needed clothing ahead of the frigid winter season. For information on how to donate clothing items or provide support, see Page 9
As well, on Page 12, the Heart Place Cancer Support Centre is looking to raise a substantial amount of money to fund the construction of a new wing at their Oshawa location. This organization provides a myriad of supports and programs for those dealing with a cancer diagnosis as well as their families.
So, before the compassion fatigue of the Christmas season sets in, let’s all take a minute and think of those around us, whether they are living in other parts of the world, or right next door.