Be Helpers

Be Helpers

Do you know that the Nobel prize was named after Alfred Nobel the inventor of dynamite who made his fortune developing weapons? Have you also heard of Bertha von Sutter? She was Nobel’s secretary and a peace activist. Bertha convinced Nobel to bequeath money for the creation of a Peace Prize. In 1905, she was the first woman to win the prize she inspired. 

For every famous person we know there are many unknown helpers — people who inspired and supported them. Sometimes these helpers are family members, sometimes strangers. Guglielmo Marconi’s mother outfitted a room for studying radio waves. His father and brother helped with his experiments. Anthropologist and paleontologist, Dr. Louis S.B. Leakey, impressed by a naive young woman’s enthusiasm for studying wild animals in their natural habitats, took Jane Goodall along on an expedition to study the great apes. The Mother’s Club at Lakeside School in Seattle provided the school computer which inspired Bill Gates. 

Some helpers are legendary. Helen Keller, rendered deaf and blind by a childhood illness, helped thousands of disabled people get basic human rights such as equal access to education. But do we know the name of Helen’s friend who spent hours every day translating books from print to Braille for her? Who were the soldiers who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition across the wilderness of America? Which scientists designed the countless parts needed to build the Space Shuttle? Who were the doctors who served in the Civil War and the nurses who traveled with the troops at Normandy? We may never know the names of these helpers but we do now that many lives, many amazing accomplishments, and much vital knowledge would have been lost without them.   

Every day, helpers work quietly among us — first responders risk their lives during natural disasters, teachers encourage students to do their very best, moms and dads work two jobs to support their families, nurses work extra shifts, waitresses smile at grumpy patrons, teens mow lawns for elderly neighbors, strangers listen to your troubles, and friends hold your hands. When help is needed, helpers arrive.

We receive help every day and every day we have opportunities to be helpers. Find opportunities to help. Carry bags for an over-burdened shopper. Pull weeds from your neighbors garden. Pick up trash in the park. Donate to a worthy cause. Share a cab, a seat, a smile, or a joke. Make someone’s day. Help.

Shawn Seipler wondered what happened to the used soaps and toiletries travelers leave behind in hotels. Discovering that they are discarded, Seipler founded Clean the World (CTW) which distributes recycled toiletries to relief agencies. Thousands of children die every day due to lack of sanitation. Washing with soap eliminates half of these deaths. Hotel staff members save these products for CTW which has provided 40 million recycled products to world locations. Thousands of unnamed helpers saving soap save thousands of lives every day. 

Remembered or not, helpers make a difference.