Sometimes, when you write a column with the odd title of “Mundus Vult Decipi, Ergo Decipiatur” the topics come easily. After all, the average person, if they are being honest with themselves, do wish to be deceived. We want to believe that nice guys finish first, that if we just work hard enough our ship will pull into port, or that if we just keep picking that combination of numbers that include our pants size in high school combined with the date we first got kissed we will win the lottery. Hope springs eternal. But that is not always the case when you sit down at the keyboard and start to write a weekly blog and are trying to meet a deadline. The well, is sometimes dry. Tonight is just such a night.That said, there are plenty of things to be written that are important at this time of the year and so I will take this opportunity that has been presented to me in the form of writers block to indulge myself and hopefully do some good.
Elbert County, despite its reputation for political dysfunction, its lack of commerce, its abysmal lack of infrastructure, is a wonderful place to live. I say this even though I have found myself at the heart of much turmoil over the years due to my penchant for citizen advocacy. There are just some things that I feel must be defended. That is the way I felt about the Super Slab. That is the way I feel about the groundwater. That is the way I feel about volunteer firefighters, That is especially true for my belief that public education is our best insurance for a sound future. But to the point of this article, this county is a wonderful place to live because of its charitable people who give so much to the common good with little or no reward.
On several different occasions over the past few years, my family and myself included, have been stricken with illness. My sister who lived in West Virginia came down with lung cancer a few years back. The struggle which eventually took her life was lengthy and painful. One morning during her fight to recover she received a package from Gail Segreto of the Elizabeth Piecemakers. In it was a quilt to make her feel better during her days as she battled her illness. It made a profound impact on my family that a group of ladies that had never met her and lived over a thousand miles away had taken the time to send her a handmade quilt. Presumably, the Piecemakers came into the knowledge of her illness by reading about her struggle from some of the social media sites where I post my articles. Since that time, I have myself experienced some debilitating injuries to my back. I, too, received a quilt during my convalescence. To this day I cannot adequately express how much that this has meant to my family. These are my neighbors. We likely do not see eye to eye on political matters and to be certain, other than Gail, I do not know who the current quilters are, but they care about everyone and that makes me a fortunate individual because of where I live. They deserve recognition. They deserve charitable contributions from their neighbors. Give back.
http://www.nonprofitfacts.com/CO/Elizabeth-Piecemakers-Of-Colorado-Inc.html.
There is a lady in the town of Elbert who epitomizes why Elbert County is such a wonderful place to live. Her name is Jo Petit. She runs a circus. The circus is called Circus-YOUR-Way LLC. It is a youth training and employment organization and its sole purpose is to bring local youth and seniors together. Yes, it is an LLC, but it would be a stretch to say that anyone is monetarily profiting from this. They do not. Jo trains local entertainers. She trains them to be performers but in reality she is teaching them the life skill of self confidence and physical exercise. She helps promote community involvement, service and volunteer work right here in Elbert County. The kids have something to do and they give back to their community. They go to civic events, bring joy and engage senior citizens. These kids stay out of trouble, they are learning to stand in front of a crowd and confidently, juggle, do acrobatics, dance and sing. Can you do that? Jo is doing a great service for our youth. Give back. Go see them when they perform and donate if you are so inclined! They make Elbert County unique and special.
https://www.facebook.com/CircusYourWay/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=page_info
And finally there is our Elbert County Community Outreach store (ECCO). ECCO gives monies to those that are in need of emergency housing due to disasters. They have helped people who have found themselves without the resources to have their proper medical needs met or who might find that they are in need food and clothing. They help people learn how to find employment, balance household finances, and live a more productive life. If you have ever found yourself down and out in Elbert County, chances are pretty good that you have used ECCO’s services. They help families that foster children, women in domestic abuse situations and senior citizens in need of a hand. Last year, when I helped a friend go through a devastating medical and financial crises, ECCO was there with me every step of the way. This is truly an amazing organization that inspires and brings hope to hundreds of families in need. And if that was not enough, they have the coolest store between Castle Rock and Limon for clothing, household goods and anything else you can imagine. All the money raised goes to help Elbert County residents. Go to their store, spend money, make a donation and above all, get to know these wonderful people. Oh, by the way, you can donate household goods, clothing, tools, and working electronics if that suits your fancy.
http://www.myecco.org/about.html
So that’s it. This is the beginning of the holiday season. It is getting colder and people tend to have more emergencies this time of year. Here in Elbert we have people who reach out and help. They make Elbert County special in so many ways. Please consider giving back. Please think about volunteering to help with community outreach projects. Please be generous with your time, your energy and your money so that Elbert can be the kind of place we all want to call “Home.”
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