Wichita Eagle
Phillip Brownlee and Rhonda Holman
People can be at their best, quietly and selflessly acting to help others, when times are at their worst.
That’s been one of the powerful messages of The Eagle’s series “The Miracle of Father Kapaun,” which continues through Sunday.
© The Wichita Eagle, 2009
It’s at the heart of the season, which finds local organizations short of their donation goals this year.
It also fits Do the Deed, a new movement fueled by The Eagle, Greteman Group and other community-minded supporters aimed at seeding and tracking small acts of kindness in a big, multimedia way.
All of which makes this a golden time to renew our allegiance to the Golden Rule, stepping up and helping out as needed in our families, workplaces, neighborhoods, schools and places of worship.
As portrayed in The Eagle stories by reporter Roy Wenzl and photojournalist Travis Heying, Father Kapaun was selfless beyond measure as an Army chaplain and a prisoner in the Korean War, living and serving his faith amid great danger and unspeakable suffering. Whether or not the famed priest from Pilsen is declared a saint by the Catholic Church, his fierce devotion to God and to helping others will be a lasting inspiration.
The next few days offer several ways to help others in our community urgently and directly, through the seasonal missions of social services. Operation Holiday can use monetary and food donations through 7 p.m. Saturday at its distribution center at 1227 S. Hydraulic (316-264-9303). Catholic Charities Christmas Sharing could use food donations for its Saturday distribution (especially cereal, canned tomato products, canned fruit, tuna or other canned meats, macaroni and cheese, pasta and box dinners) at 5725 E. Kellogg.
And the Salvation Army, which will continue its “red kettle” campaign through Christmas Eve, also needs items for its distribution of toys and other gifts beginning Dec. 17 (316-263-2769). “It’s a little slow. It’s a challenging year for us and for everyone else,” Tim Brown, the Salvation Army’s director of development, told The Eagle editorial board Thursday.
The Salvation Army also is a partner with The Eagle and the Wichita Community Foundation on Share the Season, which wraps up Tuesday and has raised $86,800 so far (compared with $200,000 total last year; call 316-264-4880 or visit the Web site sharetheseason.org).
And check out the Web site DoTheDeed.org for its suggested acts of kindness — from writing a former teacher to returning someone else’s cart to the grocery store to buying coffee for the person next in line — and upbeat stories debunking the notion that no good deed goes unpunished.
Father Kapaun’s story, the holiday season and the Do the Deed campaign remind us that our shared humanity transcends our differences. As the community continues to fight its way to brighter days, we should make a special effort to be good and generous to one another. We may find that kindness is habit-forming and the spirit most lifted is our own.
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