THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 21, 2008
Rising Up In Times of Need
Wagner Farm Rescue Fund (WFRF) and Have A Heart Farm (HAHF) Founder and President Debby Rubenstein notes:
On the weekend of September 13-14, many area residents suffered the flooding event that occurred.
For many of us in the Glenview area, it was an unpleasant déjà vu event coming just one year after we suffered from another terrible storm that also left us without electricity for several days.
For any future events that require that some people to vacate their homes, please make taking with you any animals that you have a priority. Not only does it not take much time to round up any animals, but also thanks to new legislation and opportunities, even those who must evacuate to shelters are now able to bring their animals with. Even in a real dire situation such as the recent evacuation of Houston, Texas, animal carrying cases were being handed out to those who needed them before they boarded buses out of town. There are many forms of assistance available to those who have animals, and there are no excuses whatsoever to leave animals behind in homes to die terrible deaths. Even animals that are not killed in the initial emergency often die slowly and terribly due to residents not being able to return for them.
Additionally, one of the greatest lessons in kindness that a parent can provide for their child is setting an example of kindness toward living beings who can't help themselves. The short amount of time that it takes to evacuate with your animals included is a lesson in compassion that will serve a child well for the rest of their lives. Also, for those who must cage animals for whatever reason, please make sure that caging is done only for the amount of time that is absolutely needed, and please do not leave animals unattended for extended amounts of time, especially in a lower level of a home. With the extreme weather conditions that now erupt quickly and unexpectedly, a caged animal on a lower level of a home who has no way of escaping flood waters, even from just a burst water pipe, may suffer a terrible drowning death.
In the aftermath of last year's storm, we both witnessed and personally experienced the best of what lies in most people. Even in the midst of personal disaster issues, many people stepped up to help their neighbors, even those they didn't know before weather related events transpired to bring them together.
As it was last year, these stories of concern for others have once again become part of the fabric of our neighborhoods.
Ironically, the bulk of our rain came even before we experienced rain from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.
Also ironically, my own concern that weekend was for the WFRF animals currently residing in Texas, as their farm was on the outer fringe of where the hurricane was going to pass.
As it turns out, the hurricane took a sharp turn northeast, bypassing the area of Texas where the WFRF animals are. While they were just beyond the outer fringes of a hurricane, they didn't receive so much as a drop of rain while the Chicago area, many miles north, was inundated with rain.
While neighbors rushed to help each other out in various ways, it was an unexpected but certainly a pleasure to experience the honest business ethics of some clean up related business people in the area.
A plumber who was helping a neighbor came by, not on his own to solicit business but by request, to assess the situation in my own home. While he didn't have an extra pump available at that time, he said he would come by the next day and gave me a price quote at that time so I would know what to expect. Even though the next day was a Sunday, he wasn't going to charge extra due to the nature of the situation. As it turns out, the water receded somewhat overnight and plumbing services weren't needed. When this plumber was informed, he merely expressed his best wishes and no charges were issued for the previous night's assessment.
Another plumber that had been contacted, despite also being inundated with calls, also promptly returned phone calls and issued free advice over the phone, saying that there was really nothing additional he could do that I hadn't already done, and that coming out and charging wouldn't be right.
Even after the initial emergency had passed, a clean-up company also assessed over the phone that their services weren't needed, and gave advice on how I could myself disinfect my floors and that there was no point in them coming out and charging for services that I could myself easily take care of. Additionally, my heating and air conditioning company came to repair my furnace and hot water heater, at regular rates, and just hours after I called them, even though I didn't request it to be an emergency call.
All these examples were proof in action that most people are basically good at heart. We watch our world crumbling in many ways, but we also see how emergency situations are used by many to show that they have the welfare of others in mind.
Thank you to all those who reached out beyond their own anger and frustration and personal needs to help others through our latest area crisis, and thank you to all the honest business people who used this latest crisis to demonstrate that honest business ethics still exist.
Writer Somerset Maugham once said, "it's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it".
Have faith that the best of people will show themselves, as many of the best in our area showed themselves once again this month.
WFRF can be found online at http://www.wagnerfarmrescuefund.org/.
Wagner Farm Rescue Fund and Have A Heart Farm welcome support from individuals, corporations, and foundations to maintain their ongoing efforts to promote humane treatment, good living conditions and lifetime care for Wagner Farm animals and other animals in need.
If you would like to donate to the Rescue Fund or Have A Heart Farm, please do so by making checks payable to either organization and mail to:
P.O. Box 2815
Glenview, IL 60025
or online donations may be made at http://www.justgive.org/giving/donate.jsp?charityId=30109