During, and after every crisis the Mr. Rogers quote, "Look for the helpers" makes the rounds on social media, and it's wonderful ... It really is ... But you know he's talking about you, right? Well, you, me, us, all of us - WE'RE the adults now, and we're the ones that are supposed to be helping.
If you're a person of a certain age, it's likely that Mr. Rogers, in some part, had a hand in raising you. Personally, I hated the show more often than not; the set colors were drab to me, and Lady Elaine's voice drove me up the wall, but overall he seemed like an okay guy, and I thought his trolley was pretty cool, and because of him I learned about surface tension (with soap & pepper), and how crayons, and steel drums are made, and come to think of it, he's probably responsible for my unreasonable fondness for cardigan sweaters, if I'm honest. What's my point? When we were children, Mr. Rogers taught us to look for the helpers in times of strife, or when we were scared, or upset, and didn't know what to do with our feelings of frustration often based in a young person's feelings of powerlessness. He wanted us to be unafraid to reach out for assistance in our most vulnerable, insecure, or uncertain moments ... But, I think, most of all, to be able to look outside of ourselves, or beyond less than stellar circumstances in which we may find ourselves, in order to have our faith in ourselves and humanity at large restored when we need it most. And now we're the grown-ups. It's our turn to take the examples he showed us, and become them. It's our turn to spread hope for all of the youngsters who may be struggling to make sense of what's going on in the world right now, to listen to them, and to talk with them, and to help them channel their feelings of helplessness into something healthy, or productive ... And also along the way, maybe we'll help ourselves make sense of what we're feeling as well.
If you don't know what to do, or where to start, that's okay. We're still allowed to look for the helpers too, and when we find them, roll up our sleeves, and put some energy behind their efforts. See below for ideas:
UPDATED MARCH 20, 2022
(NEW) Saint Javelin - Wear your support on your sleeve! Saint Javelin is selling clothing and accessory items with 100% of their profit going to relief efforts in Ukraine by way of Help Us Help. Of course you can donate directly rather than making a purchase, however, I personally couldn't resist a little something with a special message on it for a certain Russian warship over the country's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Mykolaiv Zoo is asking the public to donate by way of purchasing tickets to the zoo in order to save the animals housed on the premises from starvation. Mykolaiv has endured military engagement since February 26th.
AirBnB - Go here to read up on how booking AirBnB rentals is helping to get money into the hands of Ukrainian citizens. The company has pledged to drop its fees so that all money can go to the Ukrainian hosts. Information is available here for how to host Ukrainian refugees as well.
Kelly Sue DeConnick - Has rounded up a small list of Ukrainian-owned businesses on Etsy who are selling digital downloads so that we can purchase and support individuals 1 to 1. You may also visit the Etsy website, and search for digital downloads on your own, and set the Location filter to "other" and type in Ukraine in order to find more stores, and shop owners you're interested in supporting.
World Central Kitchen - Chef José Andrés is at it again! This time his team is helping to keep people fed on the Ukraine / Poland border, with another team heading to Romania to do the same. Now set up at 8 border crossings, and inside Przemyśl. Read more of their updates here.
• If you'd like to get a little more hands on, and know your way around a keyboard, Ukraine's Minister for Digital Transformation, Mykhaylo Fedorov is putting together an IT army with assignments posted on the Telegram app at t.me/itarmyofurraine
• DemCast is also looking for people willing to combat disinformation across social media platforms.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - All
proceeds from seed sales until 12:00 AM Sunday will go to help
Ukrainians displaced by war. P.S. Ukraine's national flower is the
sunflower. $1.6 million raised!
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| Photo from LaserBrainPatchCo.com |
