Community Help & Support

(Local View form 4'2, Lake County Press, April 11, 2025)

As I begin my next trip around the sun there are some hopes and dreams I have for us.

I hope that we as a community begin anew in rallying around each other when hard realities of life hit. One of the impactful things I remember as a kid in our region of small, rural towns is that people support each other. With job loss, medical conditions, destruction of property or life altering issues, we show up and meet needs. I hope this extends to all who call themselves a Two Harborite or resident of the North Shore and not just those of us who were born and raised or have kin in the local cemetery. We all need community and all have needs, even when we don’t want to admit it.

I hope we keep encouraging each other, especially when we don’t agree. Just because I have no desire to run or wheel the Grandma’s Marathon doesn’t mean I can’t support my friend or neighbor, throw on my Firefly and be a “pace car” for their training.

Our uncertain times can cause stress, worry, depression, fear, and isolation. My dream is that we throw off our self pride, independence and stubbornness and put on compassion, interdependence, and resilience. We need the walls of our homes, places of worship, and businesses to not be ways of keeping others, but instead we need to focus on the doors, the accessible doors, for people to come in and fill these spaces with care, laughter, creativity, support, and community. We weather storms better when we weather them together.

During the recent earthquake in Myanmar, disability advocates brought forth the need for emergency planning, including evacuation plans for disabled folks. Since every life in America is touched by a life experiencing disability, what are our emergency plans? How are we making sure the vulnerable lives around us are being planned for and cared for when disaster strikes? This is not doomsdaying but rather being wise and prepared because we know life can change at a moment's notice. As a former music educator and performer, I also know we perform how we practice. 

I know I need to be more active in emergency preparedness. A few years ago I was doing a great job of chatting with our local EMS, but I need to help them remember my mobility needs in evacuation situations. I do trust our EMS AND I also know I have a part to play in my own safety.

As part of Above & Beyond With U’s work, we offer site assessments. During a recent one I saw lit signs showing their Spaces of Refuge so this intrigued me to ask about their evacuation plans. The answer was, “That’s a great question. I have been in charge here for over 5 years and I have no idea.” So this is a good example of how we all play a vital part of our own safety and how we need to bring others into our lives and stories so we can all do better.

In my hopes and dreams for this year, I hope we can all keep learning together to make spaces safe and accessible for everyone. I hope this begins to be the norm and not the exception. I hope we slow down, listen for understanding, and “pack light to move quick” in response to our community’s needs. I dream of a day when all of our needs are met- housing, civil service, volunteer commitments filled, enough workers for all of the work, and everyone can be healthy in all of the definitions of health. I know this all takes time, intentionality, vulnerability, and hard work. I am grateful that even in these times of heartache, numbness, uncertainty, loss, grief, struggle - I can still dream and hope. Now to go make the plans and action steps to turn these dreams and hopes into reality.