Last week we returned from a three day trip to the tiny town of McRoberts, Kentucky, located in what is commonly referred to as Appalachia. McRoberts has a population of about 800 people, drastically reduced from the thousands who once populated this former coal mining community which thrived until the 1950’s when coal production started to diminish.

McRoberts is rural America. "Downtown" has no traffic lights, only a handful of functioning storefronts, no banks, no movie theater, a small general store. Unemployment figures in the town are above the national average and the average per capita income stands at about $23,500, well below the state average of about $40,000. More than 55% of the population has less than a high school education and many families have little or no means of transportation.

As we traveled to McRoberts it was obvious that many factors helped to explain the region’s unique problems. Driving west from Charlestown, West Virginia you get the sense that you are entering a physically beautiful region but most definitely one that is extraordinarily remote. It was as if we were driving into a cocoon with mountains towering over us on both sides. Town after small town came into view but concentrated commerce was almost non-existent. Sporadically, fast food restaurants and a Wal-Mart or K-Mart were the main attractions. With little difficulty one could see the effects of mountaintop removal mining and when we spoke with residents there was much more that we learned about the devastating impact of coal mining in southeast Kentucky.

The purpose of our trip was to visit McRoberts Elementary School and deliver a 53′ trailer of new merchandise; all donated by our friend Ranya Kelly and her Redistribution Center in Denver. McRoberts Elementary School is led by Ms. Kristie Collett and almost every child in the school comes from a lower socio-economic background. Ms Collett and her staff have worked hard, with sparse resources to produce a school that is both warm and welcoming. It is obvious that she and her staff care about the students (a few more than 70 now enrolled) as well as the building itself. Despite the age of the school, its leaking roof and very well-used furniture, the halls are welcoming, filled with bright colors and positive messages directed to the students.

Over the course of the two days it took to unload this huge trailer, sort the thousands of items it held, and then distribute them to the school families and elders in the community it quickly became apparent that there was something unique and positive about this little town. Despite its many problems and serious lack of resources, McRoberts’ residents have developed a true sense of community. Members of the Community Center, who joined in as volunteers, proudly shared the successes they had achieved in finding grant money to build a community center, a playground, a new walking track and so much more. There was a spirit here that perhaps is common in very small towns…we don’t know? Whatever its origins, we were so happy to offer what we could and look forward to the many other ways we will assist the school and the town as they struggle to provide for the community.

Shortly after we returned home, we received the following email from Ms. Collett.

First of all, thank you so much for blessing our small community. I have had such positive feedback form the event. Everyone really appreciated the items and was amazed at the quality of such items…

We are already thinking about a return to McRoberts. What can we do next?

Randi Cairns is a military wife. Not the kind who lives on a military base amid other wives and families who share the common thread of a spouse who has been called to duty in Iraq or Afghanistan or some other far-off post. No–Randi and her husband and four children live in a suburban New Jersey neighborhood surrounded by other families where Mom or Dad, or both, usually go off to a job each day and return home for dinner.

Randi’s husband is a "weekend warrior", a member of the National Guard who, until 9/11, went off to serve for a weekend a month, and a few weeks in the summer. Along with so many other things that changed in this country after that terrible day, National Guardsmen found themselves called off to active duty far from home and Randi’s husband was one of them. Randi was left on her own to raise the kids, (you really have to read her description of the day she-8 months pregnant, on crutches because of a broken leg– took the three kids to the supermarket!) be both Mom and Dad, deal with daily crises and worry about her husband’s well-being and safety while he completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan. As Randi so aptly told us, "The communities where the typical Citizen-Soldier lives don’t understand the 24/7 implications of being the ones left behind when a Soldier is called to serve."

Home Front Hearts was Randi’s response to what she knows are the areas where military families could use support from their local communities. In the midst of raising her family, working a part-time job and doing what every other mother of four does, Randi started this organization not only to raise awareness of the needs for these families, but also to become a clearing-house for services for the Citizen-Soldier family. From our first discussions with her, we could not help but be impressed by her passion and her commitment to this mission. By providing Home Front Hearts with a new printer and some other simple office equipment we hope to have sent this fledgling program on its way to assisting military families in important and meaningful ways. Check out the web site to learn more about what she has done. http://homefronthearts.org

Several months ago we shared with you the story of Casting for Recovery, an organization whose goal is to help breast cancer survivors recover, both physically and emotionally, through the unique benefits of fly-fishing…a sport which uses just those muscles most affected by breast cancer surgery. We told you about the Alaska chapter of CFR and how we offered them a matching grant so that they could hold their fly-fishing retreat for breast cancer survivors this past July.

We were surely impressed with the Alaska women-they completed our challenge and then some, and went on to have a successful retreat. Well–we recently received word of one of their new fund-raisers and we could not help but share it with you.

"Foundations for Recovery," is a truly special collection of bras that have been "artistically interpreted" by 22 local artists. In addition to raising awareness of Casting for Recovery, a silent auction will be held to raise funds for the Alaska group’s coming retreats.

The picture above is one of the bras being auctioned, and…yes, you guessed correctly–it is entitled, "Training Bra"! (check out the wheels!)

I knew the Alaska group was special when I worked with them…I just didn’t know the bounds of their creativity!

It’s an old song title, but says it better than anything else…"Everybody Loves a Clown", and no one knows this better than Dr. Neal Goldberg a psychologist with a keen interest in teens and the difficulties they encounter as they grow to adulthood. Previous diary entries have told the story of Neal and his organization Lev Leytzan-Compassionate Clown Alley which offers medical clown training to many teens and young adults in the metropolitan New York area.

In addition to Lev Leytzan’s local programs which bring the clowns to hospitals, nursing homes and even to schools where they run a very successful fire-safety program for school-age children, the group has one additional program that we especially admire. The Ambassador Program brings these talented teens to what can best be described as "emotionally needy" communities outside of the United States, particularly in Eastern Europe. In the past the group has visited countries such as Hungary and Romania, in addition to their annual trip to Israel.

To truly understand the significance of the Ambassador Program we want to share the story of a visit the clowns made to an elderly Shoah survivor in Hungary this past summer. The woman, disabled and confined to her 6th floor apartment, received the clowns and was able, even briefly, to forget her loneliness and traumatic past. When the group began to take leave of her apartment, she immediately begged them to get her copies of the pictures they had taken while frolicking around. In fact, her request was more like a pleading as she exclaimed, "I want to remember! I want to remember!" What a special gift these kids left behind.

So, when Neal recently shared that the clowns had been invited to visit Berlin in a few months, but that the costs of the trip would be prohibitive, we knew that we had to help. The Good People Fund offered Lev Leytzan a $1000 matching grant, provided they could gather a similar amount. Today, Neal wrote to say that he had not only matched the $1000 but actually exceeded it by raising an additional $450! It looks as if these compassionate clowns will be spending some winter days in Berlin. We have no doubt that they will leave smiles on the faces of many of the elders and kids they meet there.

Sometimes you get an email or a letter that describes a situation far better than one could imagine and that is what just happened when I opened an email from Jeannie Jaybush who runs Baby Corner in Seattle. We have shared their work several times in this diary– Baby Corner serves as a resource for local social services who deal with families (with few economic resources) that have a new baby and cannot afford many of the items needed to help with caring for a new infant (or older siblings). Jeannie, a co-founder, is one of the angels who run the program.

Read what she says-it is a little frightening.

Hi Naomi,

Jeannie

We doubt that the situation is Seattle is much different than anywhere else. We are just happy that donors have allowed us the opportunity to help places like Baby Corner as they work on the true frontline.

For the M’s, an Ethiopian family living in Netanya, Israel, life has always been difficult. With six children between the ages of 4 and 15 even small emergency needs can throw them into an economic crisis. When one of the children recently developed a paralysis in his legs due to a blood clot, the continuing two-month hospitalization has brought chaos and serious financial disruption to the family. Each parent takes a shift at the hospital (the mother during the day, and the father at night, after he returns from work) which requires over an hour’s ride in each direction on public transportation. Each month, this expense comes to more than $400 so that for the past two months the family has had to find more than $800 from an already meager income to cover these critical costs.

When we read about this situation in a morning email from Anne and David Silverman, who both help run the Forgotten People Fund-an all-volunteer group that works in Netanya where there is a large Ethiopian population, we knew we had to step in. A quick call to Anne confirmed that this was a case that they were having great difficulty trying to help and our offer to cover two months of this expense was gratefully received.

Anne went on to explain that with the recent economic downturn, even more Ethiopian families are experiencing great difficulties trying to feed, clothe and provide for themselves. Over the past year, FPF volunteers have become part of a Rapid Response Team which was set up by the municipal social workers with whom the organization has a close relationship. A volunteer is assigned to each district and when a social worker in that district comes upon a serious issue that needs immediate attention, the volunteer is called and goes to investigate. Once they confirm the need, the Forgotten People Fund steps in to underwrite the expense.

What a great system this is and what a fabulous group comprises the Forgotten People Fund. This immediate triage helps to prevent bad situations from becoming worse and offers the families some sense of relief that they are not alone during this difficult time.

We ended our conversation with Anne by telling her that she should not hesitate to contact us when a specific need was beyond their means. If we can, we will gladly use the tzedakah money donors have entrusted to us just for these very types of situations.