It Bears Repeating: It's Not About Us

We were blessed to be around many people this weekend. Had a lot of fun and fresh air. But it happened again. Quite innocently and with the best of intentions, more than one person asked about the foundation in a manner that made it clear most thought we were benefitting from the activity of the past few weeks.

Let me state again, for the record, that my family does not benefit financially from The Hope-JG Foundation in any way. In fact, our Articles of Incorporation state that we can't - and that was at our request. This effort isn't about us, it's about the thousand of other families fighting the same battle. We are one big "family by circumstance".

I love this quote from Fred (Mister) Rogers. It exemplifies the American spirit around disasters. We saw it with 9/11, we've seen it with tornados, floods and hurricanes. We've seen Americans respond both here and abroad to help others. The ALS "disaster" isn't one that makes the news often, save for the occasional inspirational story of an afflicted family. It's not one which takes hundreds of lives in a day. ALS is insidious. It's in many ways a hidden killer. 

Think about that when you read this quote, and think of how you can become a "helper". If a tornado hit your town, would you be one of the people digging through rubble, making coffee and sandwiches for rescue workers? Would you be a "helper"? Help us to make the lives of families with ALS and other neuromuscular diseases more rich and full. It's possible. All we need are hands, hearts and voices.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” 
― Fred Rogers

http://www.hope-jg.org/#!get_involved/c8k2