Generosity is more the rule than the exception here in Marion County. Sometimes its almost overwhelming.
A front-page story about the upcoming Marion County Relay for Life that raises money for the battle against cancer. Photos on pages 1 and 18 about the KVC Motorcycle Ride for Kids that generates around $5,700 to assist foster children and the households that take them in. A letter to the editor about a successful blood drive in Hillsboro. A report in our Schools section about 30 mostly local volunteers coming together to make campus improvements at Tabor College. A report and photo in the County-wide section about a sizeable donation to a grass-roots fund citizens are building in Burns to renovate the public library.
Some weeks, the usually invisible but incalculable value of living in Marion County comes to the fore: people giving unselfishly of their personal resources to make this a better, healthier and more attractive place to live.
This week's coverage of the philanthropic side of Marion Countians wasn't coordinated to present an unusually rosy picture of this place. It simply happened to capture a few notable efforts during a typical week in a place that daily puts the "heart" in the "heartland" of this country. -DR
