Why We Are Such A Great Community

An acquaintance of mine quoted Thomas Jefferson today when he spoke of Jefferson’s thoughts on how democracy might fail; “when more people take from the basket than contribute.”  That quote gave me pause this morning to think about where we are as Americans and more specifically, as Marco Islanders. As I reflect on my 36 years on the island, I find we are in pretty good shape.

This year alone, islanders have stepped up to the plate on more than one occasion for those not as fortunate. Time and time again, they’ve shown their generosity and kindness these last several months as we’ve moved forward to meet the needs of those facing hardships and challenges in their lives.

I smile when I think back on the weekend when we hosted service members here on the island that had suffered serious injuries in combat in the Middle East as part of the wonderful Wounded Warriors program. The island came out strongly in support of our young service men and women who have suffered horrific injuries on the battlefield in defense of our nation in the ongoing war on terror but had never given up.

We started that weekend with a reception on Friday evening for those brave soldiers at the Island Club, who graciously opened their doors to show our appreciation to them for their service and sacrifice. They would demonstrate what makes this nation such an outstanding country when they took the field to play against our best at Winterberry Park and astonished the crowd with their prowess and skill.

If at the end of the day you didn’t have a tear in your eye, you weren’t human. 

We raised an unprecedented $35,000 over one weekend to support the Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team in their efforts to send a message to fellow veterans and citizens alike who face seemingly insurmountable challenges. We presented that check one day at lunch at Cocomo’s Restaurant to one of the great local volunteers who are part of the organization, thanks to the generosity of Scott and Bonnie Gibbs.

I was surprised to receive a ceremonial bat from their organization a few weeks after the event in appreciation for our efforts. I was so grateful and humbled when I realized what was in the box after it was opened. A few years later I brought that bat to Jim Lang, a true American hero who had suffered a stroke a few years ago. Jim is a Combat Veteran of the Vietnam War, who, along with several other veterans, joined with me to organize this wonderful event for everyone involved, including my good friend Stan Niemczyk who was stuck with me cooking hamburgers and brats in the concession hut at the Winterberry Park. 

One of the other great organizations on the island is the wonderful volunteers who provide for so many of those that are in need of a helping hand from time to time. Those are the folks at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry in concert with Al’s Pals and their Mobile Food Pantry.

The genesis of that program began when small children coming to school on Mondays were identified in need of having little or no nourishment over the weekends. That effort continued to grow and became the beginning of something wonderful due to the fantastic work of so many volunteers and donations. 

You’ll find that those volunteers have swelled in numbers, and that is good because the need has grown also. From the meager beginnings of a closet in a building to their present facility in the Family Church on Winterberry Drive, they continue to expand as the needs grow. From the backpacks sent home with children to provide them nutritious meals on the weekends to the lineup of cars on Saturdays and to the similar line of vehicles around St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and with St. Finbarr Church Catholic Church on the East Trail on alternating Fridays.

Stepping up to feed First Responders and the general public after Hurricanes to a weekly breakfast program at the Marco Charter Middle School and the wonderful Lunch with Friends Program, they continue to meet the needs of others on a regular basis, including 15 separate mobile outreaches to those in need.

These are but just a few of the efforts undertaken by organizations and groups here on Marco. These examples of good works of charity are something that islanders have always embraced with a sense of purpose and commitment. They have always risen to the challenges placed before them and have done their part to ensure we continue the expanding efforts to meet those challenges.

These are just a couple of examples highlighting how Marco steps up to the challenges of our time. I take great pride in pointing them out from time to time and hope you enjoy examples of what makes our community so great.

No one has ever said it better than Winston Churchill; “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”