Letter to the Editor, Jan. 12, 2012

Published: January 13, 2012

Article Tools
Font size: [A] [A] [A]
Sign Up newsletter

Flags on the bridge

EDITOR: Some mornings, as I drive cross Memorial Bridge to Wysox, I often steal a glance at the flags as they float freely in winds of change. Irving Berlin's "You're a Grand Old Flag…" reverberates as I struggle to find words to his precise cadence.

It takes a naturalized citizen to truly appreciate the flag's significance. The canvas of my mind is always filled with images of compassion and kindness of hundreds who volunteered to help me over nearly three score years. The most effective volunteers, with lasting impact tend to be organizations with skills and resources such as local churches, Peace Corps centric bodies and Rotary volunteers.

Sadly, professional volunteers are on a downward trend, just ask any ambulance and fire chief. Thankfully, Rotary International continues to make an impact word wide.

Take for instance, those flags on the bridge. They certainly didn't just jump up there on their own accord. Towanda Rotary members took on the responsibility to source funds. Rotarian Kyle Lane volunteered to borrow Frontier Communication's truck plus a truck driver/traffic controller to stop traffic plus a brave soul to go up the ladder to attach the flag on their own time on week ends one by one.

It takes personal control not to feel "ruffled" when complaints from the peanut gallery are seen in the newspaper about the state of the flag. A contribution or a note of "how can I help …" would be profoundly more appreciated. To brighten each other's day, Rotarians ranging from the superintendent of schools to hospital administrators volunteer to cultivate beautiful flowers along the walk-way by taking turns to - weeding and watering with tender loving care. It is with deep sadness when undisciplined kids with nothing constructive to do find it necessary to rip out batches and batches of flowers.

Local members without fanfare also contribute to community needs, sponsor student exchange opportunities to far off lands to share cultures with varied economies that last a life time. Weekly programs include visitors from all section of life from state senator to Rep. (Tina) Picket to local officials from the offices of prothonotary to (county) commissioners. Recently, Leslie Wizelman, shared her specialized expertise relating to hiring caregivers as a certified elder law attorney, truly the embodiment of what Christmas is all about - to give of yourself.

Rotary International is one of the best managed professional volunteer organizations in the world consisting of business and professional leaders united worldwide. Rotarians provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. In more than 160 countries worldwide, approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 30,000 Rotary clubs. Rotarians develop community service projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment, illiteracy, and violence.

It is befitting that we - a legacy of distant stars - espouse the motto of Rotary: Service Above Self, to help each other - from Towanda to Bangladesh to make the world a better place than we found it. Let such legacy be a beacon of light for the entire year of 2012. By the way, as you drive across Memorial bridge, don't forget to hum a few bars of … Irving's "You're a Grand Old Flag."

Towanda Rotary - District 7410 welcomes questions and anyone interested. Please contact Rotarian Chuck Kovacs at (570) 265-6765 for further information.

Chuck Kovacs

Wysox

Ads by Yahoo!
We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.
comments powered by Disqus