To the editor:

Since January, I have sat at my desk at the United Way Human Service Center and witnessed the strength of my adopted community. If others saw what I see, I believe we would raise the bar of generosity in Douglas County.

So I share with you, my neighbors, snapshots I have seen.

I have seen a 3-year-old girl, skipping with joy, holding a box of macaroni and cheese that her family received from a food pantry.

I have seen a woman, recently retired from teaching fourth-graders, juggle being a part-time United Way volunteer and watching her preschool grandchildren.

I have seen a middle-aged man in worn-out clothes pick up someone else’s litter and throw it away.

I have seen employees at companies that are feeling the effects of a slowing economy commit to donating money from every paycheck because they know there are people without a paycheck.

I have seen high school students volunteering a Saturday to carve pumpkins with residents of an assisted living facility.

I have seen a Rotary Club generate 165 pairs of new shoes for children in Lawrence public schools.

I have seen people of good will from all different walks of life find ways to give a little of themselves and share it with someone else.

And every day that I witness this, I feel honored to be a part of this community that is working so hard to do so much good.

Erika Dvorske, president/CEO,
United Way of Douglas County