Patch Blog: Heroes Are Born Every Day in Monrovia

What’s the definition of hero?  I always saw it as a firefighter, a police officer, someone who just jumps in without thought of themselves to save someone else.  Well this past weekend I found out what one of the many definitions of the word hero is.

I have this friend named Nancy Matthews.  She was underemployed for awhile, too.  This blog is for any of you naysayers that go around thinking that the extension of unemployment is wrong and that it just helps people to draw money and not look for a job or do anything, because I’m here to tell you in our case it isn’t true.  If you’ve been keeping up with my blogs you know that I am unemployed.  I didn’t want a hand out. I wanted to work.  But work is scarce right now.  So as I mentioned before, I decided to volunteer with my time off while looking for employment.  Nancy is the same way.  The reason why Nancy is my hero and hero of Monrovia is she took it upon her to knock on a resident’s door to see if anyone needed assistance.  I’m not going to tell you who this resident is, but if you go by her home, you would understand why some are concerned if this person needs assistance.  She is a senior citizen on a fixed income.  I would never have known that. It is Nancy who knocked on her door and decided to take action. She didn’t wait for Monrovia’s annual Make A Difference Day, she did it because she truly has compassion. She’s one of those unemployed that keeps herself busy by doing for others and making sure others are happy.  She epitomizes true volunteer spirit.

I found out that Nancy had been going to this person’s home (mind you a complete stranger) and chipping away at her yard.  It was truly unsightly and it had great potential.  Nice shade and a lot of trees.  The house isn’t bad looking either, the property just needs some tender loving care. Well if you know Nancy, I’ve never heard her complain. She just does things from the goodness of her heart. She sent out an e-mail this past week asking if any of her friends would like to help on Saturday, because this home really needs a lot of help and it’s more than Nancy can handle herself. Myself, Dave, and Nancy’s partner, Cindy and I met at this lady’s home and we started working on it. 

I have to say because of Nancy’s doing, the City of Monrovia pitched in by letting us use their gardening tools and trashcans as long as Nancy was responsible for them. The Volunteer Center in Monrovia provided water bottles for us.  Athens Services donated a huge roll off bin for us as part of their volunteering spirit.  We started early so we could get a jump on this awful hot weather.  Can you believe that by doing all this, the neighbors came over, and not just a few, but several neighbors walked by and asked us all if we were part of a group, if we were with the city or some church. They made comments like they’ve often wondered about what has happened to the person who lived in this house.  Our response was we are just concerned neighbors that wanted to help and volunteer.  No organization, just organized friends in the community. We were there for Saturday and Sunday morning.   I got to thinking this is what Monrovia is all about. The rich community spirit we always hear of. We don’t need to wait for a Day each year to do something. Just be a concerned person and neighbor and knock on the door. That’s all it takes, a tender heart and compassion.  So Nancy Matthews you truly are my hero.  Hopefully your generous spirit of kindness might move others to give with the same loving spirit.

For that I thank you!