I have a magnificent view of humanity in action almost every day on my job.
I have been blessed to be the WTHR community affairs director, for nearly 11 years now, and it has cemented my lifetime belief that there is more “good” in this world than “bad.” As a former news anchor/reporter, who covered the negative side of society at times, I used to lose sight of that.
Today, I want to thank all of you who have shown your compassion and concern for neighbors here and nationwide, whenever there is a need. Here are some recent examples of your kindness.
In May, we asked viewers to join the WTHR Cares Oklahoma Tornado Relief drive and donate money at Kroger, Forum Credit Union or online to help tornado victims. In less than two weeks, because of the big hearts of Hoosiers, we raised more than $80,000 for the American Red Cross to help families recover.
In April, we asked you to join us in the fight against breast cancer and more than 20,000 of you braved freezing temperatures, and took to the downtown Indianapolis streets, to Race for the Cure.
From March through June, we’ve asked you to join a Relay for Life from the American Cancer Society and thousands of you have signed up to take part in 24-hour candlelight vigils to show your love for cancer survivors and to remember those who’ve lost their lives.
And, each Labor Day, for nearly 30 years, we’ve asked you to donate to our “Coats for Kids” campaign, and thousands of you go through your closets for gently-used coats or you buy new coats to help keep children warm each winter.
I am just scratching the surface of the many ways I have personally witnessed the servants’ hearts that so many people have in Central Indiana. You do many more things that I will never see or report, but you are changing and sometimes saving lives … simply because you care.
One of my favorite quotes about service comes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He said, “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
Through service, we learn that we are more alike than different. Compassion for others crosses racial barriers, educational barriers, religious differences and more. We all share some of the same struggles, heartaches and life obstacles, and we are all touched when someone reaches out to say, “You are not alone. We care.”
I’ve always believed that God created us to care about and connect with each other. It is unselfish love in action. From the bottom of my heart and the hearts of others, who don’t have a media platform, I say thank you for caring. Thank you for making this world a better place because of your kindness. We appreciate you.
You can email comments to Angela Cain at acain@wthr.com.
