Some mornings I'm torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. We should try to become better persons, and volunteering could help us do that. But 'I don’t have the time,' 'I don’t have the ability, interest, or required skills.' Maybe I just don’t have the heart and passion for it. Thank God there are several groups of people that serve our community often and willingly. So maybe I can learn from two of them.
Ric Morgan, administrator of the former Good Sam nursing home, is also president of the Rotary of Grants/Milan. The Rotary started in Chicago in 1905 by attorney Paul Harris and was for professionals with diverse backgrounds, to exchange ideas and form meaningful lifelong friendships. It 'rotated' club meetings to the offices of the other members— Loebner, a mining engineer and freemason; Schiele, a coal merchant; and Shorey, a tailor. It later addressed humanitarian service. 'One profits most who serves best.' It is international with 1.4 million members, but our local group is able to select their own projects. They meet monthly for lunch and a presentation by a community organization, as well as 'Rotary after Dark' on the 2nd and 4th Thursday. Quarterly fees are $140. They are involved in the backpack program supplying weekend meals for 234 students, leadership camp for two students, the free community Thanksgiving meal, polio treatment, 'Shop with a Cop' for 50 children, aid for Ruidoso fire victims, fundraising by the New Year’s Eve party, the future St. Valentine’s Day dance, and a golf outing.
I'm more familiar with the Knights of Columbus because they have a free potluck on the last Wednesday of each month. They were started in 1882 by Father Michael Mc-Givney. He saw the poverty and subhuman treatment of Irish immigrants. He organized councils for their spiritual support as husbands and fathers, comradeship, and the collection of money for families who lost their breadwinner because of injury on the job or sickness. They were to be 'Knights' to fight the good fight, and 'of Columbus' because of his courageous, dangerous, and unknown exploration to find a vital new route to the spice trade endangered by the Ottoman Empire, and to bring Christianity to Japan and China. A flawed hero who changed history forever. Even sinners can do good things, as each of us knows.
It's now an international organization with 2 million members and 16,000 councils that recently raised 23 million for Ukrainian refugees, funded global wheelchairs and prosthetics for Haitians, cooperated with Habitat for Humanity, provided relief to the Maui wildfire victims, built water wells in Kenya, supported pregnant women, delivered 7 million pounds of food for families, and aided persecuted Christians in Iraq. They also offer insurance for disabilities, long-term care, life, and retirement annuities. Our local council is one of the best. They work as a team with other organizations, volunteering their time, equipment, and resources. Whenever I went to their potlucks, I always saw one of the leadership families present—the Madrids. Now was my chance to find out more about them.
Cristobal, the father and “the man with 150,000 cousins,” comes from the Santa Fe/Abiquiu area. The family knew and visited the famous artist Georgia O’Keeffe and described her differently than her biographers. She was a generous woman who supported the baseball and basketball teams, paid for the gym, college tuition, fiestas and mariachis, candy at Christmas, enjoyed gardening, and her simply beautiful Santa Fe home. Cris worked in the post office for 17 years, the mines for 15 years, a grocery store for 5 years— 'whatever was necessary' to support his family. He joined the Knights in 1982 because 'it was the best way to keep a family together and had the best insurance program.' It helps men become better husbands, fathers, and leaders.
His vivacious wife of 53 years, Betty, was born in Sena, NM. She knew Cris when she was 8 years old but REALLY liked him when they stood up together at a wedding. This led to three children, helping the schools for 29 years, and now helping the community with her wonderful cooking (sometimes for a hundred plus people).
Their son Christopher joined the Army in his junior year of high school and was always skillful at organizing. He was the youngest cadet drill instructor and, as a PFC, handled PT in Germany. He remained in the Army for 25 years with 15 deployments and 7 combat tours. He joined the Knights at age 18 and was consistently active in the organization for the past 34 years. He is presently district deputy and regional director of the 4 Corners area. In addition to administration, he pitches in with the handson work.
Our local council sponsors or helps with the Halloween Haunted House, Special Olympics, winter coats, golf tournament, fish fry's, Black lung testing, food pantry, rent and ramps for the handicapped, the science fair, college scholarships, parish and school repairs, pro-life support, Rotary Club, Shop with a Cop, 50K runners' dinner, and hall rental.
Today's lesson: Charity isn’t about pity; it is about love.