08 Nov UnconVENTional Aid

Hurricane Sandy dumped her rage on the East Coast last week, smashing through homes, destroying power lines, and causing a stand-still transportation scene. Shots flashed across the news of evacuating city residents, rising water, and destruction. And then the stories started trickling out. Stories of generosity and goodwill; stories of rescues and food drops for the immobile and marginalized; stories of hope. Stories formulating in darkness, slowly being revealed in the light. Irony at it’s finest to watch the goodwill of man follow a disaster of catastrophic proportions.

An article called “UnconVENTional Aid” was published on a craft blog on Halloween outlining a spectacular series of events happening post-Sandy. The story of a wheel-chair bound crafter acquainted with a couple apartment-bound and living with some disabilities through social media, who ultimately brought back-up batteries for oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, and food through a scavenger hunt and network of connections. Wow. The power of social media; the power of the goodwill of an acquaintance; the power of the general public who donated – all apparent themes.

ACCFamily offers unconVENTional Aid in a society where the marginalized are often the elderly and/or disabled on the fringes of society. No natural disaster is needed for the goodwill of our companions to show: the dedication to assistance is every day. While epic and crazy stories like the one mentioned above are not advertised daily in grand fashion, it’s because we’re living it every day. We’re here, day in and day out, offering our lives for the sake of others.