MY NEW HERO
The People of Seaside, OR
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. — A city on the Pacific Coast is reaching out to a Jersey shore town with a similar name. Seaside, Oregon, plans on holding several fundraisers to help finance a new entrance for Seaside Heights, N.J., which was heavily damaged during Superstorm Sandy. Don Larson, the mayor of Seaside, Oregon, tells radio station New Jersey 101.5 FM that he sees a lot of similarities with the New Jersey borough. Larson says both are coastal towns with tourism driven economies and both are acutely aware of the damage natural disasters mean for them. The Oregon city is planning three fundraisers for Seaside Heights starting March 22, including a Rock and Swim event, a Skate competition and a Pancake dinner and raffle. Most of the events will have a $5 entrance fee.
I devote a lot of time, energy, and column inches to what upsets me about our world, so every now and again it’s good to celebrate something truly worthy of recognition. There’s no real reason for the people of Seaside, OR, to care about the welfare of the people of Seaside Heights, NJ…but I suppose that’s the point. Some folks are dealing with hard times and others fortunate enough to have dodged a bullet have decided to lend a hand.
Because it’s the right thing to do.
I’ve never been to Seaside Heights, but I suspect the similarities to Seaside (which I’ve been to many times) run deep. Both are coastal communities dependent on tourist dollars for their economic survival. Both are small towns at heart. Both understand how precarious life is and how quickly things can change. In Seaside Heights, it was a monster storm. In Seaside, it could just as easily be a tsunami. So what happens when bad luck decimates one seaside community and spares the other? In this case, people pull together, thank their lucky stars, and decide the time has come to help those so desperately in need of assistance.
It’s easy to get caught up in seeing the dark, seamy side of people. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to trumpet something that reflects the influence of our better angels.
Well done.
