Warren County shows great heart and spirit
Local merchants have a lot to be thankful for this year. Apparently Warren countians have heeded the call to shop at home and have made what could have been a disastrous Christmas season a pretty good one for many retailers in the area.
Charities have benefited as well with record collections in some cases as the community responded with exceptional generosity to those in need.
The Share a Christmas Dinner campaign resulted in 450 food baskets being distributed and collected over $15,000, a record for the charity in its 22nd year.
Local toy drives like the one sponsored and implemented by the Warren County Rescue Squad provided welcome Christmas gifts for children who might have had no Christmas at all were it not for the kind hearts and hard work of the men and women who made it all happen, as they have done year after year with no other reward than the true joy of giving.
Though the people and organizations of Warren County have been lauded for their benevolence during the holiday season in previous articles and columns, their open and charitable nature certainly merits one more mention before year’s end.
If it is truly better to give than to receive, then Warren County can indeed feel better about itself this year. Seldom has a community shown more kindness toward its fellow man or generated such a sense of hope in a world darkened by consummate evil.
Though there have been disagreements and challenges during the year, love has truly conquered all in this community this holiday season. It will be a year to remember with pride for many seasons to come.
There has been a lot of talk in the past year about the slow post 9/11 economy and the dampening effect the terrorist attacks have had on travel and consumer confidence in this country and, for that matter, around the rest of the world as well.
Some pundits have seen this as somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy, noting the negative stories and fear-mongering have stifled consumer spending and slowed economic growth.
Economists have even gone public with the radical idea the best thing America’s citizens can do for the country right now is to get out and spend their hard-earned dollars and resume their globe-trotting ways as much as possible, while still avoiding obvious danger spots of course.
And Americans, with typical spunkiness and resilience have, by and large, done just that. We have shown, once again, that we won’t be discouraged or made fearful.
We have shown once again that we will rise to the occasion, make the sacrifices and do whatever is necessary to take our nation through the hard times and come out better and stronger for it in the end.
The people of Warren County have shown that kind of heart and soul in their own community and in the process, made themselves a vital part of the greatest nation in the world.
They are to be commended for their efforts and their spirit.
The world will remember.