Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Brian Greenspun spots local points of light

There are 13 points of light in this valley. Their name spells H.O.P.E.

I was waiting to hear former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's address about religion and politics the other day when former President George H.W. Bush - the one I voted for - took the podium at his presidential library to introduce the man seeking the Republican nomination for the White House.

It was when Bush referred to the Thousand Points of Light campaign that was given life during his administration that my mind focused on our own community. I forgot about the politics of Romney's speech and, instead, focused on something far more substantive - the biblical admonition to help the poor and less fortunate among us.

Rather than listen to someone telling Americans what the rightful relationship of religion and government should be under the Constitution of the United States - although God knows we need someone to tell us - I preferred to think about those who are actually living good lives by doing the good and decent things all people of faith are taught.

That brought me to Desert H.O.P.E., whose goal it is to "work in direct support of women and their families. Through our efforts, we hope to lend a helping hand and ultimately make a difference." So sayeth their Web site.

This organization consists mostly of newcomers to our valley, a small group of women who came together as new residents with a common cause - to do some good. As best I can tell, they are what we would all call just regular folks, the kind of ordinary people who want to do what is right, and to do it in a meaningful way.

I don't know what they did before they moved to our community nor do I know what they do for a living now that they are here. Neither bit of information is important. What counts is that they have come together around the common cause of doing good deeds.

In the early 1970s my parents created the Las Vegas Sun Summer Camp Fund. In those days the long, hot summers condemned too many of the less fortunate children in this growing valley to endless days of doing nothing in an almost unbearable heat while many of us who were a little better off got to experience some time away from Las Vegas for a summer camping experience.

Not only were we in cooler climes but we also got to play and socialize with kids from other cities, other states and, sometimes, other countries. Our summer experiences broadened our horizons and our outlooks which, of course, informed our dreams.

Because a week or two at camp could do the same thing for an underprivileged child - in fact, do so much more because the impact would be so much greater - the creation of the Sun Summer Camp became an imperative.

From the outset, raising the money it took to send the kids to camp was a communitywide endeavor. Although the Sun has always covered all of the administrative fees and costs, the camping experience has grown more costly with each passing decade. What was a few thousand dollars for scores of children four decades ago is today a few hundred thousand dollars for more than a thousand children. It is more important than ever that the entire community get behind this endeavor because each year there are more and more worthy campers.

By now you should have guessed where Desert H.O.P.E. comes in. The 13 ladies who have come together to do good deeds and help those who need it chose the Sun Summer Camp for their largesse. There are so many worthy causes that need help in our community that their choosing the Camp Fund is a most special honor.

So, on behalf of the families of all those kids whose lives will be changed forever by a camping experience, I would like to say thank you to Gita Passfield and Bobbi Planck, who started Desert H.O.P.E. I would also like to thank Ann Peters, Arlene Kalodner, Beverly Bowman, Debbie Kuyper, Karen Galloway, Kathy Childs, Linda Spatafora, Marilyn Nisson, Marlene Baker, Sandy Kopcho and Winnie Parker for joining the group and doing what was necessary to raise $9,000 for the kids.

You ladies are not only points of light in our community but you are also beacons to the rest of this valley, showing what a little hard work and imagination can do to help bring the bright light of hope into a child's eyes.

At a time when people have turned negative about practically everything that has defined us - our desire to help others, our willingness to invest in a better quality of life, our belief that a good education is the helping hand from one generation to another, and the commitment to do what is necessary to make the next generation healthier and wealthier than the last - you represent the positive force of action in the spirit of the biblical imperative.

You are doing for the least of us and that is how you will be judged. Amen.

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