Heroes

Last evening, I attended the Jefferson Awards dinner and award ceremony at the Ramada, along with my youngest, Palmer and his wife, Stacey. The Jefferson honors local people with the spirit of volunteerism and selfless giving. Palmer was nominated because of his decades-long devotion to firefighting, both as a volunteer and career, and his helping hands whereever needed, from coaching soccer and Little League, and recording Coming Home to benefit the families of those deployed to the Middle East. Offering a helping hand to family, friends and people he didn't even know. Just because that's how he is.

The awards are sponsored by the Times Leader, and there was a cocktail hour followed by the usual banquet fare; slice o' melon, limp salad, chicken, rice, a tablespoon of vegetables (really. A tablespoon), and two tablespoons of chocolate mousse. But we weren't expecting much more. It wasn't about the dinner anyway.

We were seated with a woman who was a Nurse Practitioner who had instituted programs to provide health care for migrant workers and other needy people with no insurance, and an 18-year-old man who ran fund raisers in his high school to support a food pantry in the area, having raised almost $2,000. cash in addition to food contributions.

The presentation of the awards, an etched glass plaque, was accompanied by a voice-over reciting the achievements of the seventeen nominees. Seventeen remarkable people, from the 16-year-old young lady to the 89-year-old senior lady who does more in a week than I do in six months. It was inspirational, and humbling, and embarrassing to realize that I do nothing to enrich the lives of others. Hell, I don't even enrich my own life.

Five of these exceptional folks were chosen as finalists, and one overall winner of an expense-paid trip to Washington DC to represent NEPA at the national Jefferson Awards dinner.

At the end of the evening, Palmer told the organizer, Rachel Pugh, that I was the "What's in it for you?" lady. She was very excited and insisted I must be introduced to Richard (Connor). We chatted briefly. He now has the face to put to the e-mails I send when I agree with something he wrote.

It was an uplifting couple of hours. Makes me want to go out and adopt a kid. Well, maybe not. But something.