Hope for Humanity
Sermon | November 6, 2022 | Lisa Jebsen
Wanna know what I did with my hour we gained last night? I finished this sermon!
Back in September’s installment of my “Hope for Humanity” series, I coined the term “hope scrolling.” Or at least I thought I did. As it turns out, the phrase was already out there. Rather than feeling sad that I’m not as original or creative as I thought I was, I choose to see this as a positive. There are so many of us out there who are searching for alternatives to doom scrolling. In fact, I just joined a Facebook group called Hope Scrolling. I love their description:
This is a rest stop for the upstanders, advocates, kind hearts, world weary boots, and tired caregivers of the world. Not for toxic positivity, but to see the flowers thriving in the thorns
At the risk of being presumptuous, I’m going to say that we all could use a healthy dose of hope scrolling right about now. So let’s get to it. I found many flowers thriving among the thorns to share with you today!
This is Sarah Pauley who has donated many hours of her time and talent to parents at the neonatal intensive care unit at Riley’s Children’s Health in Indiana. She could sympathize with exhausted, stressed out parents there because her own daughter had spent 4 months in an NICU. So this salon owner jumped at the chance to offer her services in one of the family rooms provided by Ronald McDonald House at the hospital On Sept. 14, “Beauty Bar” opened – it’s a place where parents can relax in a HydroMassage chair, take a nap in specially designed pods or grab a snack. And on days that she volunteers they can get a spa treatment like a shampoo and blow dry or a scalp massage. She especially enjoys caring for postpartum moms and sleep-deprived dads at no charge. Offering services to moms has a special meaning to her. She said, “There’s something about the connection between moms and the power of touch.” This story also concludes with this happy update from Sarah: “There is hope in my story because my daughter is thriving.” …
In other good news about people taking care of themselves, a study has shown a significant drop in the rates of suicide among active military members in US armed forces during 2021 and 2022.
This is attributed to “increased attention to the issue among high ranking officers and the Dept. of Veterans Affairs”.
According to the data, the number of suicides in the Air Force and Marine Corp dropped by more than 30% in 2021 compared with 2020, and the Navy saw a 10% decline. The Army saw a similar 30% decrease during the first six months of this year, compared with the same time period last year.
These drops are even more significant when you factor in the challenges of “insufficient staffing of mental healthcare workers, and continuing stigma of seeking help professionally.”
A combination of military chaplains, health and wellness professionals and other staff is largely responsible in the work of suicide prevention and mental health care. Here’s hoping that they can continue their good work and we see more improvements in these numbers!
All of those individuals can easily be considered unsung heroes. Recently another unsung hero named Jo Newby received some well deserved recognition when a new statue of her in London’s Southbank was unveiled. This honor is in recognition of the fact that she has fostered 92 children over the course of her “2 decades of volunteering.”
The statue was commissioned by the brand, KIND Snacks after a nationwide search for “the UK’s kindest hero” – her husband Chris led a secret effort that resulted in around 500 nominations.
The statue, which stands four meters tall (13-ft) on Observation Point, holds 92 balloons in one hand—each symbolizing one child she has fostered, and a pair of children’s soccer cleats in the other to pay homage to her work for children with disability in sports.
“All I think about is the children and making sure they feel happy, included and safe.” she said
Fostering is just the beginning – she also adopted a child with additional special needs all while taking care of her husband during his battle with pancreatic cancer.
Plus she is a co-founder of Barton Inclusive Football Club Hull, with three competitive pan-disability football teams for children and young adults in the Barton UK area – which is unlike any opportunity available in the region.
Another amazing thing about this honor is that the statue was created using “3D scanning technology from recycled materials.”
Sophie, one of Newby’s fostered kids said, “She’s like the really fun auntie you never knew you wanted but you actually really needed, because without her I have no idea where I would have gone.”
Jo added, “I’m so honored to be chosen as the UK’s kind hero… I just hope that people can see what an impact kindness has on others.”
Another fan of kindness in the UK is Issac Winfield – an 11-year-old who used his own birthday money to launch a foodbank service.
He started this service to his community in 2020, and it grew so much that his parents bought a shed to store the hundreds of donated items that can now be collected via the Friend’s of Isaac Food Bank Facebook page.
This came about because he had always enjoyed donating food via a program at school but when he had to switch to a specialist school, he was depressed to learn that they didn’t have a similar program. So he created his own!
His parents helped him purchase food and gather donations that would get delivered with the family van or by Isaac on foot. He also worked to open a small shed at the family’s home where those in need can help themselves 24/7.
Now Isaac is planning to expand the service and has a local charity sponsoring him to open a foodbank in the town. He has attracted the help of big sponsors … and a local charity … to keep his foodbank operational.
Hope scrolling past the dire headlines about the environment you can find stories like this one from Colorado…
A non-profit bought the Medano-Zapata Ranch next to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and turned it over to the National Park Service, allowing the park to expand by over 9,000 acres.
The biodiverse wetlands included in the transfer will get the park closer towards its original, envisioned footprint.
“The lands being transferred to the Park contain important springs and wetlands that support a rich diversity of life,” said Great Sand Dunes National Park Superintendent Pamela Rice. “This acquisition marks an important step toward completing the plan for Great Sand Dunes National Park that was established in 2004.”
In some more good news for the environment, polyethylene bags and jugs can potentially be upcycled thanks to a scientific breakthrough. Historically, recycling this type of plastic is exceptionally difficult – so much so that only 14 percent of all polyethylene plastic can be recycled—and then it is only useful for specific things like garden furniture.
Thanks to the efforts of scientists at the University of California Berkeley in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, they may have found a method to “break the sturdy polymers into the three-carbon molecule called propylene a valuable molecule that can then be used to make new plastics, including polypropylene, which is used in ropes, twine, tape, carpets, upholstery, clothing, and camping equipment.”
This discovery could also cut down on the use of fossil fuels because this process uses a tiny fraction comparable to current recycling methods.
The last bit of today’s hope scrolling will take us through my favorite topic… animals!
We now have satellites powerful enough to identify individual whales from just their markings so scientists are using this imaging to track whale migration and help save endangered species. The satellites are producing images that can:
map a 15 square centimeter area in a single pixel, to follow the North Atlantic Right whale to keep them away from ships and find out where they go in the summer and autumn.”
By knowing where whales are off to, people could warn fisheries through which the whales pass, or ships to chart a new course in order to prevent collisions and net entanglements.
Considering the fact that we don’t know where 50% of North Atlantic Right whales go in summer and autumn, this tracking method can have a big impact on helping this endangered species….
This is Marlo, a cavapoo in the UK –
I had to look this up: a cavapoo is a cross between a Poodle and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Anyway, Charles Jefferson is Marlo’s human and an avid golfer who was thrilled when Marlo disappeared into the bushes and brought back a perfect tour-grade ball on their first visit to a golf course. This was not a one time thing – Marlo had a real knack for finding golf balls!
As an advertising and branding agent, Jefferson leapt at the chance to turn Marlo’s abilities into a force for good after he heard of a donation drive to promote the prevention of litter from lost golf balls.
Rather than getting into the resale market (which is an actual cottage industry in the UK) these two are helping with litter control efforts and donating the golf balls to charities around the world that help teach youth how to play!
Good boy!
Project Dynamo worked with Malama Manu Sanctuary on Pine Island FL after Hurricane Ian so save 275 exotic parrots and rehome them in a new wildlife sanctuary. The first step in the rescue effort was thanks to one member of the Malama Manu’s staff, Will Peratino who pulled all of them up into his stilted house.
After that, Project Dynamo helped put together a team with four boats to put all the parrots into cat-sized pet carriers and bring them off the island.
One of the volunteers came from the new sanctuary, who said they are likely to take the birds in for around a year while MM rebuilds.
A GoFundMe page to fund the rebuilding of the sanctuary has raised $34,000 of its $200,000 goal. This is important work since this flock includes breeding pairs meant to safeguard populations of endangered parrots.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, the first wild bison to be born in the UK in about 6,000 years! The birth came just months after the small herd was brought to Kent.
Organizers were floored because none of them knew that one of the bison was pregnant.
I learned in this article that a cow’s pregnancy is undetectable – a nifty survival mechanism that deters them from being targeted by predators.
“When the bison took their first steps into the wild just weeks ago, it was hard to imagine that anything could come close to the elation we felt in that moment. But here we are celebrating the arrival of a bison calf,” exclaimed Mark Habben, Director of Zoo Operations at the Wildwood Trust.
“We always hoped that the bison would breed, but it is fair to say we were not anticipating it quite so soon,” said bison ranger Tom Gibbs.
Bison natural behaviors like grazing, playing in the rain and dust bathing have an important role in creating light, space, and fertilizers to help other wildlife to thrive. Rangers say the calf has developed well, playing in the rain and copying the other bisons’ iconic dust-bathing behavior.
It is hoped the presence of bison at the 120-acre Blean site, alongside Exmoor ponies and Iron-Age pigs, will transform the woods into a lush, thriving, biodiverse environment once more and allow less hands-on management.
Here’s a pro tip – do a google search for bison happy dance and watch the videos the next time you need a pick-me-up.
And finally, here’s a beautiful story of human kindness that features my favorite animal: dogs.
James Smith-Williams is a pro football player using his platform to help sexual/domestic abuse survivors and their pets.
As a student at North Carolina State University, James Smith-Williams heard an advocate named Brenda Tracy speak about surviving a gang rape by college football players. She shared a message that deeply resonated with him.
“Her biggest takeaway was, ‘If you’re a good man, what are you doing to be a good man?’ That really stuck with me.”
He took the message to heart and joined forces with Tracy’s nonprofit Set The Expectation to establish the Champions foundation dedicated to creating “a network of athletes who raise money and awareness for nonprofits that support survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence.”
He’s also worked with Purina’s Purple Leash Project and the nonprofit RedRover to help domestic violence shelters become pet-friendly after learning that only around 15% of domestic violence shelters currently allow pets.
“About half of the people who are in domestic violence situations delay leaving because of their pet. They have nowhere to go with their pet,” he said. “Pets are family too.”
In a 2021 survey 97% of survivors reported pets are an important factor in deciding whether or not to seek shelter — and half would not consider leaving without their pets.
If you watch the NFL, be on the lookout when he plays the week of Dec. 4 during the league’s My Cause My Cleats event during which players can wear customized footwear to highlight and support their favorite causes. “Smith-Williams plans to wear cleats designed by Purina in honor of the Purple Leash Project, and then donate them to an auction to benefit the cause.”
Smith-Williams also gets high marks in my book because of his hands-on efforts to help shelters with the labor needed to make them pet friendly. He spoke of how much fun it was because he also got to play with some of the canine beneficiaries of his efforts.
I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that he also adopted his own dog Luna from a shelter.
So there you have it, friends. A whole bouquet of flowers found amongst the thorns. Take heart, have faith and always nurture hope.
RESOURCES
Mom runs hair salon inside hospital to pamper parents of NICU babies
Mental Health Focus Is Bringing Suicides Down Sharply Among Air Force, Marines and Army
Towering Statue Unveiled in London to Honor a National Hero You’ve Probably Never Heard of
Kindhearted Boy Used His Birthday Money to Start a Food Bank in His Garden Shed
Breakthrough: Polyethylene Bags and Jugs Can Finally be Upcycled to Solve Several Problems at Once
275 Rare Parrots Saved From Hurricane at Florida Sanctuary: ‘They’re Family’
James Smith-Williams Helps Domestic Violence Survivors With Pets