So many people — ordinary people, not big names — make the place they live a little bit better. I want to emulate them. There are millions all over the world. Here are seven, a few I know well, a few I’ve come across recently. If you want to feel hopeful, I suggest going on your own treasure hunt for those who touch a chord in you. Hope is so good, especially when it moves us to do even small things ourselves.
Linda Palmer Nielsen: My sister, a genius teacher before she retired, she found a way to bring hesitant readers to books, and founded a coding club in her little provincial school that introduced elementary-age kids to the basics of telling a computer what to do. Now she divides her time between caring for our fabulous 99-year-old mom and taking care of her lively grandson. Since our mother lives a 6-hour drive from her grandson, she is on the road a lot. She is among the most deeply loving people I know. https://tabertimes.com/news/2019/03/06/barnwell-school-earns-national-recognition/
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, who leads the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona. He’s been instrumental for so many reasons, but most recently brought a solar panel project — installed above canals — from concept to reality in his region. These solar panels began producing power in October. And their presence above the canals reduces water loss through evaporation. Lewis’ goal: to help his tribe become net zero. https://time.com/7172517/stephen-roe-lewis/
Anna Bowles: A British writer who spends time volunteering in Ukraine and writes about it on Substack. She has worked in soup kitchens, children’s programs, and delivering aid. Her writing is clear and provides a unique view on the impact of war on civilians. I appreciate this on-the-ground perspective. Her writing is free, but for those who pay a subscription fee, the money goes to help Ukrainians. https://annabowles.substack.com/about.
Joe Moll, executive director of McKenzie River Trust. He provides the leadership for a nonprofit that protects this key tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon, a beautiful waterway that provides clean drinking water to cities, and vital habitat for a variety of native species. It’s not the only river the agency protects, but it’s the one I interact with the most.
Kristen Karle: housing development director for the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County. It’s not easy putting together the complicated financial deals that allow nonprofit organizations like St. Vinnies in Eugene to build affordable housing that looks good in neighborhoods while providing families on limited incomes a decent place to live. Once the deal is done, she supervises the design, planning and construction process. Because of her, the stock of affordable housing here has grown by 1,600 units.
Jade Begay: Dine and Pueblo, a climate and indigenous rights activist, she understands the importance of wild landscapes for everyone. In this video she describes the foundational relationship with nature that everyone needs to have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gy4pHfXQYU
Frances O’Brien: Decades ago, Frances, who lived in a sweet and tiny town along the McKenzie River, decided her community needed a library. So she gathered books, storing them in wooden crates on her front porch and letting anyone who wanted to read rifle through her collection, day or night. It grew from there, with many book donations, and even a donated building. Because people had been used to simply showing up and borrowing a book from the crates on her porch at any time, she always left the library unlocked. She just asked folks to leave her a note of what they’d borrowed. Four years ago a wildfire swept through Blue River and decimated most of the homes, including the library. Now as homes have been rebuilt and the community is coming back, the library has also been rebuilt. Prominent Oregon sculptor Pete Helzer is putting the finishing touches on a bronze of Frances O’Brien. Before she died in 1995, she set up a formal nonprofit with a board of directors that keeps the O’Brien Memorial Library a going concern. https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/15/blue-river-library-holiday-farm-fire/
Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now 