Three months after a horrific tornado that changed Joplin Mo. for all time its children went back to school yesterday. Many of the little girls having recently lost everything were happily wearing brand new hand sewn dresses due to the efforts of hundreds of careing people. But it was the leadership of one Susan Stewart that got this off the ground.
“ I don’t have a chainsaw….or know how to operate a track hoe .” she said regarding her desire to help those in Joplin. “And I guess I just wanted to make those little girls feel like Princesses on their first day back to school .”
Well Susan I would say your desire came to fruition yesterday placing you amongst your many peers on the honor roll of unsung heroes that step up to the plate after each and every disaster . Though I live far removed from Joplin Mo. I would still like to thank you very much…..
Other help came from unlikely sources . The high school kids went back to school at the converted local mall and were each issued back packs and laptops donated by The United Arab Emirates . I offer thanks to that nation as well though with some humility and I wonder if we have become that needy now that most American local governments are dreadfully cash strapped.
It will likely be quite some time before the new high school is built and I hope the fact that its expensive doesn’t create another wedge driven between two party thinkers. After all….we’ve built and rebuilt numerous schools all over Baghdad and beyond at incredibly inflated costs, with never a whimper about the necessary spending cuts .
Susan Stewart…..I don’t know your politics…but I would vote for you too
