Thanks, Orcas High School seniors | Letter

Published 10:41 am Tuesday, July 3, 2012

This is a big THANK YOU to the 2012 Orcas High School Seniors. Given the opportunity for your civics and economics classes to distribute a $5,000 donation to worthy causes on Orcas, you Seniors deliberated and elected to dedicate the entire amount to support health care for Orcas Islanders who lack adequate insurance and could not otherwise afford the care. Your decision could well save a life, prevent a childhood disease, return an injured parent’s ability to support or care for the family, relieve an older citizen’s pain – and maybe all of the above.

Given the many worthy causes on Orcas, you could not have made any choice which better serves all age groups and all members of our Orcas community than your choice for health care for all.  You valued the trust placed in you and accepted the responsibility to make a good fund allocation. You approached the task collaboratively, thoughtfully, and enthusiastically. And when you might have supported more popular teen needs and interests, you instead focused your attention on the broader and deeper needs of our community. Your action displayed the very soul of good citizenship, good government, good philanthropy, and good community service.

So while we thank you – along with your donor – for the gift of health care, we thank you seniors even more for your example and inspiration to us all. We hope that this shining choice will be the first of many wise and unselfish decisions you make during your lives. Certainly this choice was one of which your families, your teachers, your school, your community, and you yourselves should be very proud. You have given us all an injection of hope for the future, strong medicine indeed!

Seniors, thank you!

Norm Zimlich

President, Orcas Medical Foundation