Bringing Out the Best in Each of Us

These days, it’s pretty difficult to think about anything else but the state of the economy. We all see the news of lost jobs, companies closing their doors, and the stock market taking a nosedive. Hopefully, by the time this edition of the Airpark News is in your hands, things will be looking better.

And we should expect things to turn around. Maybe not right away, but certainly in the near future. We won’t see it today, but we will see it here in the Airpark sooner than other parts of the state and the country.

I’m an optimist. I believe we are in a better position than during the last downturn we experienced in the late 80s and early 90s. Arizona has a more diversified economy now. We no longer rely on cotton, tourism and copper as we once did. Here in Scottsdale, we will see an influx of visitors from Canada and other countries, as well as other states.

There is money out there - and that’s good news.

But there is also an ongoing need for dollars and volunteers for nonprofits who provide valuable services and goods for those of us unable to meet the daily needs of surviving, let alone worrying about whether they can pay for their children to attend college.

Philanthropy is defined as “goodwill to fellow men,” and one should never forget that in the best of times there is a need to think of others and act on their behalf, whether it’s a straight cash gift or donated clothing, or assisting in some other way.

We can imagine the difficulty of trying to dig oneself out of an economic fissure without some sort of assistance. And with the end of the year upon us, and two very important holidays that celebrate the goodwill of men, when is there a better time to lend help to organizations that make it their business to provide assistance for those unable to help themselves?

While we are consumed with the state of our economy, we should make it a “must” to look around and see if there isn’t something we can donate or otherwise provide. We should recognize it as a requirement to help whenever possible.

The Boys and Girls Clubs provide a safe haven for youths, a place where they can learn to be better citizens, to get along better with one another, and to see the value of sharing.

The Salvation Army provides food, clothing and other assistance to individuals and families. They have done this for more years than we realize. They provide disaster relief, Christmas charity, and operate youth camps.

Goodwill Industries provides assistance to the unemployed, providing them with education training and general assistance in overcoming employment barriers.

Closer to home we have STARS, which provides assistance to individuals with disabilities with opportunities and resources to enable them to achieve the highest levels of social and individual independence.

There are other organizations worthy of our attention, and we will focus on them inside this issue. They all deserve our support. The service they perform is indicative of the best we have in each of us, and we should never forget their need for our assistance.

Wayne