Cheers and Jeers
Cheers to Cynthia Bellina, a Uniontown woman who served as a Red Cross Disaster Spiritual Care Responder to those survivors of devastating fires in the state of California. Bellina said many she saw had only the clothing on their backs, having lost everything in the fires of Paradise, California. DSC responders like Bellina met with people to offer spiritual guidance and begin the healing process. She said it wasn’t about evangelizing a specific set of beliefs, rather about helping people find their strength through the universal languages of love and compassion. In times of need, it’s the selfless actions of people like Bellina that help shine a light and lend hope. Those kindnesses should be recognized.
Cheers to the beginning of the holiday season, and celebrations slated across all of our communities, including the cities of Uniontown and Connellsville. Both are offering residents throughout the county numerous opportunities to get into the holiday spirit with activities over the next couple of days. Concerts, parades, church tours, bake sales and visits from Santa (of course!) are on tap. We hope that in addition to the fun that the holiday season provides, perhaps the joy of the season will move those who can lend a helping hand to do so for those less fortunate.
Cheers to the Charleroi Area School Board for reaching an agreement with the Charleroi Sabres, a semi-professional football team, to use its Myron Potios Stadium. The Sabres, part of the Premier Amateur Football League, will play home games at the stadium in 2019. It’s great to see a local school supporting the dreams of players 18 and older who want a chance to compete at a higher level.
Jeers to the person who broke into Fayette Friends of Animals, a Uniontown area animal shelter, this week. State police said the burglar unsuccessfully searched for a key to the safe and left empty handed. Local shelters are full of animals already in need of a hand (or paw) up. Nonprofit shelters like Fayette Friends often run on the love and volunteer work of those who want to see Fido or Fifi in their forever home. We hope police are able to catch the person responsible so he or she can make the shelter whole for any damage caused during the break in.
Cheers to the A&E documentary series “The Clinton Affair” for telling the story of former president Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky in her voice. Lewinsky, often relegated to unflattering caricatures on late night talk shows, said little during the ordeal. Now in her 40s, she spoke extensively about what she went through, in interviews for the documentary. Her words are a sad reminder of how awful the world was to her. Viewed through the lens of the #MeToo movement, “The Clinton Affair” offers an eye-opening perspective of a two-decade old scandal that riveted the nation.