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Rock Valley Kiwanis |
Afghan Orphans Project
Background Page
Behind Our Club's "Let's roll!" Decision
Involvement of a Kiwanis Club in a project outside of its community is unusual, particularly when the focus is on the other side of the world. But events following 9/11 modified what is usual, and deployment of US troops, in a sense, expanded the boundaries of "community'. The "Executive Summary" of this mission is simple: (1) Some innocent children in Afghanistan have urgent needs, (2) many people in our "home community" want to help, and (3) Rockford has a good-will ambassador on the ground in Afghanistan to connect (1) and (2). The role of Rock Valley Kiwanis is to inform and coordinate.
Several years ago the Rock Valley Kiwanis Club initiated a new program, called the “Extra Mile Award” to provide timely recognition for a special category of unsung heroes in our community, individuals whom we consider “sieze the moment” heroes. These are ordinary people who, often within a split second, recognize that their immediate action can fulfill an important need of another human being. We all have such circumstances in our daily lives but often don’t even recognize that we are temporarily empowered to make a difference. And if we do recognize that, some fleeting thoughts often preclude personal action, thoughts like “I don’t have time,” or “Probably somebody else will do something,” or “What will people think if I do something.” But sometimes, from amidst all that, an ordinary citizen takes action and makes a difference. Our Club, with the Extra Mile Award, attempts to recognize such selfless behavior, thank the individual on behalf of our community, and, hopefully, by doing so, provide role models for others.
Todd Beamer and other ordinary people on United Flight #93 fit this mold. They seized the moment, took action, and made a difference. Beamer’s immortal “Let’s Roll” has been on our Club’s home page since September 13, 2001. The words embody the essence of selfless, decisive action.
While considering involvement in this matter, our Club went through much "On the one hand...but on the other!" hand-wringing. Would the Rockford community interpret our involvement in this as abandonment of local needs, which we have supported for 33 years? (We're continuing to support these!) More important, would our efforts make a difference? There are over 30,000 orphans in the Kabul area alone!
The authors Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen tell of coming across an individual on a deserted Mexican beach who was throwing starfish back into the ocean to keep them from dying on the shore. They pointed out the futility of his effort, the fact that there were thousands of starfish on that beach alone and that the same "washed ashore" phenomenon was probably happening on hundreds of beaches, up and down the coast. One of the authors asked: "Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?" The local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish. As he threw it back into the sea, he replied, "Made a difference for that one!"
Innocent children, rather than starfish, are the focus of this program, and children are the primary focus of Kiwanis clubs worldwide. For that reason, our Club decided to step outside the comfortable boundaries of "normalcy" and act! We decided to "make a difference for that one." If you want to help during this unusual journey, we welcome your participation!