Goldendale Sentinel Editorial

Tough times show off heart of community

A column by Rachel Cavanaugh

     Nearly every supermarket in Goldendale has some sort of charity jar on its counter at any given time. These jars are not from national organizations like March of Dimes or big, corporate charities, but makeshift cans the local community puts together to help one another.
     This is truly amazing. I’m not sure one can fully appreciate how amazing that is when it is so commonplace around here, but it is not always the standard.
Prior to moving to Goldendale seven months ago, I’m not sure I’d ever been to a spaghetti feed. Since then, I’ve been to three.
     I see a new, decorative jar at the grocery store almost weekly and am constantly hearing about someone who is organizing a fundraiser or special event for someone else.
     It truly gives someone a sense of the warm and fuzzy - and not just in terms of money raised.
When a teacher had chest pains last week, for example, folks at the high school wore special items and when the secretary was diagnosed with cancer last year, the entire athletic department donned pink socks to support her.
     Last year, when a local deputy died, the whole town rallied around his family and and I’m told the procession line to the cemetery stretched more than a mile. A year later, I watched the courthouse lawn flood with people who still wanted to offer their support.
     The scope of the community fabric was made particularly evident to me this week when I sat down with Elvan and Kathi Poe, who lost their home last year in a fire (see story page one).
     I had met with them earlier this spring and went out to follow up and take some pictures. I learned after arriving that, in the time since I’d last visited, they had built a carport for the trailer, erected a solar panel, and put in part of a concrete wall - all because of help and donations from the community.
     I guess it should have come as no surprise - the reason I ended up there in the first place is I could no longer ward off the small army of concerned community members who regularly stopped by for updates.
     “Have you been out to see Elvan and Kathi? When are you going to write a story? How are they doing? What do they need?”
     The genuine caring from the community has been moving, as was my visit with both of them.
     With all the bad news going on these days, I think the sense of camaraderie found in Goldendale merits a quick glance, and a nod to how many great people are still left out there.