Shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Greg Forbes Siegman wrote a guest column that ran in a variety of newspapers around the country. The column explained what he planned to do to help out some of those affected by the disaster. That column eventually led to the creation of ProjectThankYou.com. This is the (updated version) of that column:
GRANDMA'S WISDOM INSPIRES WAY TO HELP OTHERS
Like many ideas, this one began by accident.
Knowing I went to school in Louisiana, a friend asked what I was doing to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I told him Id be sending a thank you note to the police and firefighters in New Orleans.
A thank you note? he scoffed. Its meaningless. Unless a person can eat it, drink it, wear it or sleep in it, those guys dont need it.
The immediate irony is that I am writing a check, too. A portion of the proceeds from September (2005) sales of my book, The First Thirty , are being donated. But he got me thinking -- even if I wasnt writing a check, wouldn't just a thank you note still be meaningful? Wouldn't someone appreciate, and even benefit from, a sincere letter of gratitude? At least a little?
My late Grandma used to complain people were in such a rush to get somewhere that they overlooked the so-called little things like thank yous along the way.
Civilization aint so civil any more, she used to say.
I think she was right.
And the way I figure, if anyone deserves one of those thank you notes, it is the men and women of the NOPD and NOFD who had the courage to stay on the job when the hurricane hit.
People can argue for years about what local and federal officials couldve done and when, but the legacy of those cops and firefighters who showed up for work and did the right things should be indisputable: They were subjected to conditions that give new meaning to the term hostile work environment not to mention, they were short on food and water like everyone else, their own homes were destroyed, and many of their loved ones were unaccounted for, too. And yet, they would not quit.
They faced hell and high water literally and refused to run.
And I think the least we can do, whether weve already written a check or donated shoes or anything else, is write a letter to thank them for that. And not just the cops and the firefighters -- but the doctors and other First Responders who also risked their lives, too.
Its a chance for us to show the kind of respect we always say we want others to show to us and it wont even cost you a stamp to do it. All you have to do is email it to me and Ill pass it along. Because I no longer want to send one letter. In light of my friends remark, I want to collect and send one thousand.
I know letters from strangers wont satisfy hunger or rebuild homes, but I really do believe it will mean something. At the very least, it cant hurt to try.
A friend from Alabama asked why I am singling out New Orleans. She asked why she shouldnt write thank you notes to the First Responders in her own community instead.
To which Id say, Why not do both?
After all, thank yous arent like warm, soft beds or cold, hard cash. You dont need to have a certain income to provide them, and you dont need to worry about running out of them, either. In fact, anyone at any age of any race from any background can give out as many as he or she wants.
All you need is time, the willingness to spend it and a place to sit.
