Well…
not quite a super-exciting or dramatic story, just a guy that made
a realization during a conversation, cogitated a bit, then reflected
some more… then brought forth one idea that led to another… with
the help of some friends. Clear enough? 8-)
Actually, the real story is a few more paragraphs… but I'll try
to keep it succinct. I had some friends/ex-roomies that were reserve
US Army Special Forces Medics. We were discussing some of their
career choices in the civilian world, when the subject of why
they didn't want to work on a city EMS team came up… I don't
clearly remember all ofthe specifics, but the main idea was that
the pay was barely enough to make ends meet. Somewhere hovering
between minimum wage and $10 bucks an hour for most city or private
EMS members, even with their training… and I'm sure that Special
Forces training is not entirely a sing-song to get through. I recall
the story of the sheep that was shot and they had to keep it alive
for some amount of time as their final exam… sorta makes you happy
with even an essay question in most college classes, doesn't it?
I further pondered the amazing fact
that these people that are tasked to save your life if you
are in any number of dangerous situations probably didn't get
compensated as much as a shift manager at your local burger chain.
It sorta hit me like a ton of bricks, that the person that would
tend my wounds IF I DID get hit by a ton of bricks (and survived
even a few minutes) would possibly be worrying about paying rent
as saving me. Not to disparage these heros at all!!! But there
is a level of compensation justified for such full-time lifesavers,
and I was pretty sure that an amount barely enough for one person
to go to a movie (with no popcorn!) per hour was waaaaay under
that justified amount.
So given the impact of my realization
that these people were severely underpaid for the benefit that
they give to society, my next thoughts of course went to the "if
I had a million dollars" or "ya know what Bill Gates
should do with some of that money?" dreams. I thought that
if I ever get super rich or even significantly comfortable, I'd
be sure to create a fund and make donations to some type of fund
or lobby to make a wholesale increase in wages for these wonderful
people.
I thought of the other types of people just like EMS
workers that have to put up with either physical danger or severely
emotionally draining work to help people that they don't even
know… people that would perhaps hardly look at them on the street.
I thought of emergency rooms, firefighters, foster parents,
school teachers, substitue teachers, search and rescue teams
(after seeing the movie "A Perfect Storm", what amazing
people on that helicopter!) police (when they are not giving
me speeding tickets 8-) and victims services, etc. All
of these people, and so many more that I just haven't listed or
realized, are willing to give of their time, effort, emotional
and physical energy, and sometimes their very lives to help people
when they get in trouble. What an amazing thing for them to do!
How appreciative we should be of them! How we should thank
the firefighter or EMS we see in the burger joint and say
"this meal's on me"… or send a gift certificate or theatre
tickets to teachers, or flowers to an emergency room for the staff
for once, not the patients. We could do just little things to
brighten their days and let them all know that we do appreciate
what they do for us all… or may in fact do for us personally one
day if we are in trouble.
Sorry that this is getting longer than I thought,
but the next conversations were with some friends Morty, Deb,
Rich and Mel… I discussed my general thoughts while on the lake
in Morty's boat, with a few beers in hand… (talking about something
to be thankful for in the Austin summer heat!) and after chattin'
around some, the idea hatched to do what little I could by working
on a website that let people tell their stories and thank the
people that had helped them at one point. Then others, by
reading the stories, could understand what some of these heros
add to our lives and our "civilization" by their daily
jobs… and donate to organizations that can help these folks. Widows
and orphans funds, education funds, burn foundations, conservation
funds, Coast Guards etc. and of course thank these people in
person with any small favor you can do for them.
So that's the big story, how I came to devise this
grand scheme to benefit people that do so much for us and our
loved ones. Sorry it wasn't a Danielle Steele romantic cliffhanger
or a Tom Clancy rollercoaster, but sometimes the truth can make
you think and ponder what you can do a little more… they say truth
is stranger than fiction… I say these people make the term
"civilized" come true every day.
Be Safe and Thanks!
Charlie
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