EDITORIAL: Wholesome examples of community live on here
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 30, 2017
There has been an unhealthy dose of chaos in recent weeks and, let’s face it, months, not just nationally, but locally. Nationally, political tempers continue to flare over a myriad of topics as Democrats and Republicans fight against each other in a never-ending, uncompromising stalemate. In the meantime, locally, seemingly senseless acts of violence have also continued. The two men killed in Portland while trying to stand up for two teens who were being taunted is the most recent example. For Washingtonians, chaos has come in many forms, from the frustrating stalemate on public school funding to our local overburdened ferry system, both of which seem to have no realistic solutions.
But in all this, islanders have provided lights at the end of the tunnel that remind us that humans can cooperate and work together to put aside differences and get things done. In this issue of The Beachcomber, there are a few examples of this cooperation: A group of islanders recently banded together to help fix the Vashon Theatre’s sound system, Vashon Park District is offering free swim lessons thanks to generous donors and grants have been awarded from a county-wide levy to fund a school-based health clinic and other important services.
The theater’s sound system repair is perhaps one of the best displays of recent community helpfulness. Two islanders who work as sound mixers, producers and composers recently saw a movie and noted that the sound was not quite right. Without being asked, the men took it upon themselves to troubleshoot and fix the system. It was done in an effort to restore quality sound to the historic movie house.
Meanwhile, Scott Bonney, the Vashon Park District’s aquatics director, has started a new swim lesson program that is free to those who wish to learn, but do not wish to take a group lesson normally geared to children. All necessary costs have been covered by island donors who wish to help all on this island learn to swim.
In big local news, funds from the county-wide Best Starts for Kids levy that was passed in 2015 have provided for grants for a school-based health clinic and funding for Vashon Youth & Family Services’ programming. It’s always nice to see tax dollars at work in our own community, and county officials said they wanted to include the county’s unincorporated areas during this grant cycle.
With dozens of nonprofit organizations and more than 10,000 residents — most of which who are concerned with the well-being of not just people, but also the environment, animals and countless other causes — there are more ways than one to feel positive about the human race and believe in human cooperation.
