South Whidbey Island is a remarkable place to live. And those of us who live here know that there are very special people living amongst us who make it so. For more than 10 years, some of our most inspiring friends, co-workers and neighbors have been featured in the Hometown Heroes articles published monthly in The South Whidbey Record.
The articles, written by local resident Susan Knickerbocker, tell of everyday kinds of people who do for others and for their community. They are people who live humble lives, supporting their families and friends in times of need and helping us see beyond ourselves and our current circumstances to an increasingly better future.
A few years ago, a committee of local volunteers got together to publish these articles in a collection.
This first volume will feature more than 50 of the 200-plus Hometown Heroes. It is the intent of the committee to publish additional volumes, with each book benefitting a different non-profit.
Even off island, the special quality of this book speaks. Here is a brief review from a Minnesota resident:
Alienation and disconnection from a sense of community can be a way of life for denizens of big cities. We cultivate isolation as self-preservation amidst the throng. The helping of others is largely left to professionals and institutions. Identification with community is through pseudo-bonding at entertainment or professional sports events. One wonders what became of the rural and small-town values that once informed our lives.
It was a happy revelation, then, to discover that Hometown Heroes - A Celebration of Community Spirit is full of stories of "regular folks" on a Puget Sound island who in largely unassuming and unsung ways have made their community a better place to live. The book tells the stories of 51 people who, young or old, conservative or progressive, affluent or impecunious, educated or self-taught, Whidbey lifers or urban refugees, have contributed of themselves to elevate the lives of those around them.
I am ordinarily dubious about books featuring collections of local luminaries because they are sometimes glorified vanity press or simply drumbeats for boosterism. There is nothing of that in this book. From the former lawyer who lives in an old train caboose as the "conductor of fun" to the guy who runs his hardware store like a social agency to the couple—he a retired symphonic violinist who uses his woodworking skills for the benefit of the local arts center and she who uses her organizing skills to protect the local environment and to advocate for the downtrodden—these are real people doing real good.
Hometown Heroes assigns its subjects into one of six categories: family, friends, leaders, neighbors, protectors, and teachers. I read about one person every day and found that it gave me a feeling of community that I don't ordinarily experience. I am not in the people-are-basically-good camp, but reading this book affirmed my belief that it's the many good people in the world who keep it habitable. The book is written well and the layout makes it easy and pleasant to read, I could tell you more about this non-profit effort of chronicling everyday heroes, but you could buy the book and get the good feelings first-hand.
Proceeds from Volume I of the series will benefit South Whidbey Commons Youth Programs, please click their logo to review their many efforts in our community.
